Green Tea Recovery
by Shadow of All Things
Summary: Recovering from a traumatic experience was always said to be difficult, but having a special someone to help speed up the process can make all the difference. *NxWhite ferriswheelshiping ToukuxN*
1. Chapter 1

**It's a new story guys, and I hope you all enjoy it :) Can not say I worked hard on this because I had fun, and I don't think "work hard" and "fun" should be put in the same category, cool beans?**

**So this is a WhitexN fanfic, I don't wanna call her Hilda because that sounds German, and chicacbiddys' I'm not german! I'm Black/Hispanic so I just refuse that name, and Touku sounds like an Amazon Bird name y'know that bird in the jungle with a colorful beak...dang I forgot the name :( Anyway Enjoy the Fanfic**

**Dedicated To: SilverxBird It was her b-day and I TOTALLY did not wish her a Happy Birthday so yeah stab me we a fork Silver! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon...isn't that obvious or what? Seriously people are looking for reasons to sue these days...:/**

**Warning: The longness for this chapter is INSANE, by my standards**

**Song of the Day:Pappara...dear god talk about a ear orgasm XD**

* * *

><p><em>The corners of her mouth kept twitching downward as she let her eyes roam over her fallen Pokémon. This was real, not a childish Pokémon battle where her fallen Pokémon would easily be healed at a Pokémon center, in just a matter of seconds. White glanced at the assailant, her eyes drilling into his for a brief minute before turning back to her now non-breathing Pokémon. White desperately wished that her eyes were tricking her, her treasured friend, her Dewott. He couldn't be dead; the thought didn't even occur to her that a Pokémon could die from unnatural causes.<em>

_"Hey kid, get away, this aberration of a Pokémon was causing havoc everywhere. Luckily I put it down in time."_

_The 14 year old trainer didn't budge from her spot. Instead she turned her head considerably and glared at the metallic weapon of death in his bloody hands. "Why?"_

_"I just told you—wait now!" The sinister looking man halted, rooted to the ground like an Ivysaur using Ingrain. "Was this your Pokémon by chance?"_

_Without responding, White reached into her pack and withdrew a shining pokeball. Usually holding a pokeball would give the blue eyed trainer a rush of adrenaline, but now she felt like it weighed a good 50 pounds in her hand. Tears started to leak from Whites' eyes. Pressing the small white button on the pokeball, White sputtered out in a dumbfounded breath. "Return, Dewott."_

_A ray of red light emerged from the pokeball and sprinted toward the stone still body of the dead Pokémon. Dewotts' body didn't merge into a form of light and return to the ball; instead it remained on the ground. Not moving, not breathing; not living._

_"It's dead," The man drawled out from behind White in the most retarded way._

_Sobs the sound of hiccups amplified about twelve times erupted from the girl's chest. Pressing the white button on the pokeball repeatedly to recall her Pokémon, White found that an intense fear filled her chest. The fear of becoming lonely. Fear of not having a loved one near anymore. _

_"I-I know t-that…wh-why…h-how could a person with a heart do such a thing?" White sobbed out quietly, her voice growing louder with each word._

_"Kid, I didn't know that it was your Pokémon! I swear, I saw it taunting one of my Herdier; my Herdier was doing its job alright then your Dewott attacked it, almost killing my Pokémon!_ _What was I supposed to do eh?_

_Whites' jaw slammed repeatedly against the upper jaw of her mouth. "That's…completely s-stupid!"_

_The middle aged man was now getting irritated and slid his pistol back into his gun-holder. Shifting from one leg to the other he spat onto the ground; a sorry attempt of a smirk crept its way up to his menacing face. "Get outta' here kid, Pokémon die every day for food. Heck! I bet your Dewott would taste mighty good in some stew."_

_Whites' cheeks puffed out, in a vomiting notion before they went back down. After repeating that notion a few times, White leaned over and retched on the ground, her eyes filling back up with tears in the process. Feeling light headed, White collapsed onto her knees and cried in her elbows, her sobbing growing louder in the process. But that entire racket stopped when she felt a cool metal on the back of her neck. _

_The man had knocked her out, and White preferred being knocked out. To see her beloved Pokémon gradually be flooded in its own blood was unbearable. To see her best friend since birth being knocked down with a single piece of metal was a scarring moment that would alter her view of the world, but legends and myths alike always foretold that, **from loss comes rebirth**._

* * *

><p>"God you sleep as long as a Slaking, can't you wake up already?" Bianca huffed out angrily. "Come on White, you promised!"<p>

Shifting over onto her right arm, White lazily opened one Aquamarine eye. Annoyance easily read in her furrowed glares. "Just go away Bianca, besides it's not until tomorrow so just let me sleep. Okay?"

Bianca made an annoying buzzing sound equal to the sound a buzzer would make on a game show if you got a question wrong. "You're wrong White, it's today."

Quickly up onto her bum, White glanced at the clock to the right of her bed before letting out a small gasp. "Bianca…it's today, the day Black gets his first Pokémon!"

Raising a slightly amused eyebrow, Bianca turned around to look around Whites' room, her hand unconsciously petting her fluffy blonde mane. "I said that already White…"

Slamming open the door to her closet, White frantically looked through all of her articles of clothing, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth in deep concentration. "No you didn't, you just told me to wake up."

Bianca rolled her eyes and called out to White a light warning that it was going to be hot today so she better settle on something nice and cool.

Finally picking out some ripped shorts and a white tank top with a black vest on top. White stripped down and anxiously put on her clothing. Bianca was currently helping White out by making her bed.

An alarm on the night-table next to Whites' bed went off in quick shrill shrieks. Bianca now slightly exasperated leaned over and bopped the alarm clock with her fist, causing White to angrily scold her for hitting her things.

Once White had put on her socks and sneakers, the two slightly disheveled females raced their way downstairs where they found a stoic faced teenager leaning back in Whites' living room couch watching TV on the flat screen that was built into the wall.

Letting out a loose smile, Bianca sauntered over to the couch and plopped herself down next to the serious faced teen. "Well at least you're here and ready on time Cheren."

"When am I not on time Bianca?"

The wild-eyed blonde opened her mouth to retort back but was stopped short when a door slammed open with so much force it could probably push over a fully grown sleeping Snorlax. A young teen bounded down the stairs, a wide smile etched onto his face. His unruly hair was stuffed into a red/white cap. In his right hand he carried another pink/white cap.

"Good morning Black," Bianca cooed out first, her eyes sparkling with adoration for the younger boy.

White bit back a giggle at her best friends' antics. Everyone in Nuvema Town knew that Bianca went completely goo-goo over Blacks' cute appearance. Since Cheren, Bianca, and White have been friends since birth they were inseparable, but when Black came along two years afterwards Bianca went cuckoo over Black.

"Hey Bianca," Black greeted cheerfully earning a giddy squeal from Bianca who was currently jumping for joy over 'Blacks' cuteness this morning'.

"Black," Cheren nodded simply, his bangs clinging to the rims of his wide spectacles.

The brown haired boy gave a smile and nodded back before turning to White. "Sis, you know what today is right?"

Scoffing, White leaned onto her right leg and sent a bothersome smirk to her younger brother. "Of course I do, you've been talking about it every minute of every day."

Shrugging in acceptance Black walked over to the main kitchen table and sat down in one of the wooden chairs, his maple syrup eyes constantly gliding over to the front door. White sat in the seat adjacent to his and placed her hand over his left knuckle that was currently thumping the kitchen table in an irritating fashion. Black turned his attention to White and gave her a nervous smile, raising his right hand from under the table he handed the pink/white cap over to the aquamarine eyed female.

"Oh this is such a cute cap Black, who is this for?"

Black deadpanned before letting loose an agitated sigh, "The King of Unova."

White growled at Black in an intimidating fashion, "What are you talking about? There is no King, just that weird guy on the news, of which I'm 100% sure is smoking crack."

"Yeah he seems very…erm, crazy," Cheren said, whilst settling down in a vacant chair with Bianca following suit.

"He looked very cute to me," Bianca mumbled, a light blush dusting her pale cheeks as she resisted the urge to squeal out of delight.

Rolling her eyes White turned to Cheren with a dainty smile. "How are your Pokémon doing?"

The black haired male apprehensively gulped and pulled out six Pokéballs from his belt loops. Placing each of the red and white Pokéballs carefully on the table top he spoke quietly, "They are all doing fine."

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Black snapped. "This cap is special for you and me because we are both starting our journeys today!"

White felt her heart stop for a brief second before she stood up abruptly, her happy mood now completely stomped on. "What are you talking about? This is your journey, not mine! It was already decided that a journey is not for me."

Black, Bianca, and Cheren frowned slightly, neither one of them knew what to say next.

"Well say something! What is Black talking about you guys?" White turned to Cheren and Bianca for support but was met with hardened gazes.

Cheren, being one to never be out-yelled stood up also. "It's time for a new beginning White…"

"Yes for Black, not for me! I started my journey two years ago, and it all ended with my partner," Tears started to grow in Whites' eyes as she shoved her face into her hands. Bianca leaned forward in her chair and embraced White; this was just standard for Bianca, so she knew just what to do.

There was an uncomfortable silence as White sobbed into Biancas' orange shirt, but in an instant Whites' sobbing was stopped short when she felt something being shoved onto her head. Looking up warily from her hands, she saw Black standing behind Bianca with an accomplished look on his face.

"You look really nice in that cap White."

Now the sobbing had completely stopped. White touched the cool cotton on top of her head and relished in the feel of a quality cap being placed on her head. Bianca smiled in approval and motioned for White to turn around in her seat so that she could fix the cap completely.

"Your nose is red," Cheren mused. "You're getting ready for Christmas already?"

"Oh, shut up cherry," White mumbled quietly, a small smile on her face. White motioned for Cheren to hand her one of the tissues on the table. After White blew her nose, Bianca let loose a sigh of admiration, signaling that she was done fixing the cap. White turned back around in her seat, and the slightly crazy blonde dug into her shoulder purse and held out a small pocket mirror for White to look into.

White couldn't help but smile at Biancas' handy work. With naturally thick hair, Whites' luscious hair fell perfectly out of the small hole in the back of the cap.

"It looks really good, thank you…everyone."

"Well you actually have to thank Black," Bianca said, motioning to Black behind her with an elegant wave.

"Thanks, little bro."

Blacks' eyes lit up with hope as he held his hands together in front of his chest, "Does that mean you'll go on the journey with me White?"

Slightly frowning, White shook her head. "You're 14 years old, you should be old enough to go out on your own journey all by yourself, that's how old I was when I went out on my journey with D-Dewott…Now I'm 16, that's far too late to go on another journey, besides, who takes a 'second journey' ?"

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Cheren shook his head in disagreement. "Don't tell me you're that stupid White, I thought you were the only person in this town who matched my intelligence, I guess I was wrong about that."

Gritting her teeth, White waved her hands wildly around her in a very intense debate against Cheren. Both of them were retorting with an insult equally as sharp. Though as intense as the argument was, everybody was cracking up, and soon, there was only laughter left ringing in the room.

A ring at the doorbell instantly broke down everybody's laugh to nothing. Everyone paused, just staring at each other; they all knew what was waiting outside the door.

Black nervously laughed as he sat back down in his chair, his eyebrows creasing in anxiety.

"Aren't you going to get that Black, I mean, you've been waiting for this," Bianca lightly giggled into her fist.

"Oh, god I'm gonna be sick!" Black faked his cheeks puffing out in a vomiting notion. "Can you get that for me White?"

"Yeah, sure."

White strode over to the main door and was met with a smiling stout mailman.

"Why haven't you grown White? You're still a little shortie though."

Still having the giggles in her stomach, White laughed at that. "Well, being short has its perks. So did you have a package for Blacks' special day today?"

The mailman dug into his messenger bag and pulled out a rectangular shaped present. The wrapping paper was plain blue with printed words on it that said '**Your Big Adventure Starts Now**'. It was all held together with a simple red ribbon.

White carefully took it from his outstretched hand. "Thanks a lot Sam, you're the best!"

"Tell me something I don't know," The mailman snickered and left with a polite goodbye down their personal sidewalk.

Shutting the door quietly, White made her way back to the kitchen table and placed the parcel in front of Black gently, a graceful smile lighting her features. "Congratulations on your big day Black."

"Congrats!" Bianca yelled with tears in her eyes as she embraced Black tightly.

"You're going to have the time of your life, Black." Cheren added with one of his rare smiles.

Blacks' eyes filled with tears overdramatically, "Thank you so much you guys, really…"

With what seemed like years, Black managed to finally take off the wrapping paper that he claimed he, "Wanted to preserve in a personal scrapbook he was going to make sooner or later". After all that was done, a simple cardboard shoebox was all that remained. Lifting the lid up carefully, Black placed it to the side. The inside of the box was engulfed with a green velvet fabric. Memories of getting their first Pokémon rushed back to White, Cheren, and Bianca. Their faces getting increasingly more interested, because the **_trainer starter_** group always sent a random starter Pokémon to each trainer depending on their personality, but of course becoming a trainer was different everywhere.

"Hurry up Black, you killing me here," White teased.

Ignoring White completely, Black moved the velvet out of the way and found two shining Pokéballs resting on even more green velvet material.

"You get two Pokémon?" Cheren cried in disbelief. "Are you really that strange that they couldn't match you with one Pokémon?"

"Be nice Cheren," Bianca scolded as if protecting her son from a bully.

Black held up his hand to stop all talking and attract the attention back to him. "These Pokéballs are engraved, one has a **B **on it and the other has a **W **on it."

"One is for White then," Cheren answered quickly.

"No I think it's for wheat bread," Bianca responded sarcastically, earning a glare from Cheren.

White met Blacks' eyes, her ocean blue eyes trying to find any secrets that his maple brown eyes held. The pony-tailed brunette then broke the silence and spoke to Black in an interrogating voice. "Did you sign up for two trainers with me included?"

"I told you that you were going on this journey with me." Black said using his best reasoning voice.

"No you _asked _me!"

"You didn't give me a definite answer!"

The cerulean eyed female felt the corners of her mouth pull down again. "My Pokémon died…do you people not understand what I am saying? I was not meant to have Pokémon under my possession if I can't even keep an eye on it."

_Please don't cry, you've cried enough already._ White sniffed at her now running nose and wiped at it with a tissue. "We might as well take that extra Pokémon up to Professor Juniper since we have to get your Pokédex registered at the Lab anyway."

"White please," Bianca whispered, her lower lip quivering in sympathy for her best friend.

Cheren grunted in agreement, while Black nodded viciously.

"Please don't force me," White retaliated. She wanted badly to just run upstairs and cry in her bedroom. Most people didn't understand her situation; usually their remedy for clearing situations up like this was to get another Pokémon. But to White it was just as saying, 'If your mother died, get a new one and all will be swell' and that just wasn't the case for White.

"Then you will waste your life!" Black yelled at his older sister, earning a gasp from her. "How can you expect to be a normal human being if you can't even handle seeing a Pokémon out of their Pokéball?"

And what Black said was true. White had a new phobia of not wanting to let any Pokémon out of their pokeball, or out of her sight. The thought of an innocent Pokémon getting hurt destroyed her on the inside; just the thought of a Pokémon battle seemed incredibly violent to her.

"But I _am _normal."

"You're not," Cheren stated laying everything down flat. "You will not lead a normal life if you don't have any interaction with Pokémon."

White broke down after that.

* * *

><p>"Ah, good to see you all here," Professor Juniper tittered. "You haven't opened your Pokéballs yet have you, White, Black?"<p>

"No…" White mumbled. This lab, this same dialogue was getting to her, bringing back memories of her and her Dewott.

"No ma'am," Black clucked eagerly, trying to not let his sisters bad mood get to him.

Professor seemed to sense Whites' terrible mood and directed most of her dialogue to Black. "Well, let's see your Pokémon first Black. I'm terribly excited to see which Pokémon you were matched with, and I'm sure you are too Black."

Black nodded and grabbed his Pokéball out of his pocket. Taking a moment to analyze the sparkling new Pokéball, he cautiously pressed the polished white button in the middle of the ball with his thumb causing it to enlarge. Blacks' eyes grew even wider with enchantment as he looked up to White for guidance. The cerulean eyed female just gave him grin of approval and nodded her head for him to proceed. If they weren't in Professor Junipers' lab, then White would have made him keep his Pokémon in its pokeball, but Whites' unscrupulous mood seemed to evaporate at seeing her little brothers face light up with a new sort of joy. The joy of starting a journey after lying dormant for 14 years.

Cheren and Bianca were watching from the lab seats in the back with a sort of elation in their eyes at seeing the delighted scene in front of them.

Black spread his legs apart in a regular trainer stance; after a bit of contemplating on how to throw the Pokéball, Black just decided to throw the Pokéball up into air yelling, "KYYYAAA!"

A ray of white light emerged from the Pokéball as it opened then flew back into Blacks' outstretched hand. After the ray of light touched the ground it disappeared leaving a Pokémon in its place. A small mole like Pokémon gazed curiously around the lab until its gaze fell on Black. It seemed to recognize its trainer as it cried out in joy. Its claw/hands looked like concave drills; its nose was a nice pink rose, and its plump body held what seemed a sort of blue stripe design.

"It is so adorable!" Bianca cooed, "I almost caught one of those, but my team was full."

Cheren gazed at the Pokémon carefully before letting out a small sneeze. "I'm allergic to ground types…"

Black knelt down in front of the smaller Pokémon; a wide smile shimmied its way onto his face. "Hey…you're a Drilbur right?"

"Dril-Dril," The tiny Drilbur nodded.

"Why don't we get your Pokédex registered so you can learn more about your Pokémon, Black," Professor Juniper exclaimed, almost jumping up in down in her spot, her hand outstretched for Black to hand her his Pokédex.

Black nodded and reached into his huge pocket to hand her his brand spanking new dark purple Pokédex, though his eyes were glued to Drilbur however in fascination that he finally had a Pokémon to call his own.

Turning around to a small Ivy-colored laptop, Prof. Juniper connected a USB cable from the laptop to the Pokédex. After Prof. Juniper typed in some complicated codes, a small ding echoed from the laptop. The orange haired Professor turned around in her rolling-chair and handed the purple rectangular Pokédex back to Black. "If you just slide that switch on the side of the Pokédex and hold up the camera shot to a Pokémon, your Pokédex will automatically record data on that Pokémon and tell you information on it."

"That is so cool," Black mumbled mostly to himself as he held up the Pokédex to his Drilbur, who was now, miraculously, taking a nap on the floor, its claws tucked neatly underneath its head like a pillow. After switching his Pokédex on, he held it up to his Drilbur and pressed the 'record information' button on the touch screen. A slightly robotic voice began to speak. "Pokémon: Drilbur. Known Moves Are: Scratch, Mud Sport, and Rapid Spin. Classification: Ground-type. Gender: Male."

"Ah that is totally cool," Black hooted, he knelt beside Drilbur once again and lightly shook him awake. Drilbur groggily sat up on its behind and gave Black a small smile. "Hey Drilbur, my name is Black. You and I are going to have a lot of fun on this journey; we'll become legends without us even noticing it, but we got to work on you sleeping habits first before anything!"

Black fist-pumped the air as Drilbur followed suit.

"Dril-Dri-Drilbur?" Drilbur motioned to everyone else in the room with a confused look on his charming mole face.

"Ah," Black said, snapped his fingers in understanding. "These are all our friends."

Professor Juniper chuckled knowingly, "Okay Black, let me just see your Drilbur for a second so I can gather more information on that certain species, and make sure everything is all dandy with it."

"Yeah, sure thing Professor."

Black picked up his small Pokémon carefully, as if handling a newborn babe. The brown haired male gently handed the small Pokémon to Professor Juniper, which caused the mole Pokémon to squirm and complain that the Professors hands were too cold.

"Why don't we see what Pokémon you got White?" The slightly cuckoo professor called over her shoulder, too intensely focused on the small mole Pokémon in front of her to make eye contact with White.

White put her sneakers together and lightly rocked back and forth from her heels to her toes. "Um…about that Professor…I wanted to see if you could take this Pokémon off my hands, or give it to another trainer."

Turning around quickly in her chair, Professor Juniper glowered at White. "I know your only Pokémon was… killed just two years ago White, and I know you're hurting…trust me I know. But you can't keep pushing things off White so I've decided that this is mandatory that you go out and have another adventure, or call it whatever you like! But you and Black _are _going off to see the world with Pokémon."

Feeling more tears building up in corner of her eyes, White croaked out, "But profess—"

"No 'buts' White," Professor Junipers eyes softened a bit as she spoke more tenderly. "I've known you since you were a little girl, don't worry...shooting a Pokémon is illegal now, just go or else your happiness will only go down."

White remained quiet and wiped her tears on the back of her hand. "If I must…"

Bianca squealed and ran over to White, pulling Cheren along with her. "We'll go on this new journey with you too White, it'll be just like old times!"

_Old times…I wish_. White just sniffed.

"Well let's see your Pokémon then White unless you plan on just standing here all day," Cheren teased.

Reaching into her own pocket White feebly took her own Pokéball out of her pink shoulder bag. The engraved black **W **shined in the florescent light of the lab, causing it to glare back into Whites' eyes making her flinch. White kissed the Pokéball gently, and whispered a silent prayer that nothing would happen to this innocent Pokémon. Throwing the Pokéball up into the air, a bright flash of white light erupted from the Pokéball and landed on the floor. The Pokéball flew back into Whites' hand as it did to Black. Once the white light dispersed, all that was left was a small Pokémon, just a tad bit taller than Blacks' Drilbur.

"Osh-Oshawott," The small otter Pokémon chirped cheerfully.

"Aww, you got **_another_** adorable Oshawott," Bianca cooed, her cheeks a bright red from the cuteness she claimed just 'radiated' from the small otter Pokémon. "I could just eat it up in some Pecha Berry sauce, mmh."

The poor Oshawott seemed scared of the gushy blonde and ran to hide behind White. "Osha-osh-Oshawott!" It held out an offending paw to the blonde in an order for her to stay away. Its long whiskers brushed against Whites' ankles making her shiver slightly from the tingly touch.

White seemed frozen in place as she stared blankly in front of her, not being able to comprehend that she had gotten the same type of Pokémon she had all those years ago.

Bianca was currently trying to chase Whites' poor Oshawott down to give it a tight hug, while Cheren was attempting to calm Bianca down by shouting and running after her.

Black in the meantime was already telling his Drilbur their life plans and what Pokémon they would be aiming to catch.

"I can't believe I got another Oshawott," White mumbled to herself. Oh this place, _this Pokémon _that she just received made her want to breakdown and never wake up again. Raising her delicate voice above the racket White called out, "Can you guys stop running around?"

Bianca froze in place causing Cheren to hit her back and fall back onto his bum; his glasses were slanted at an odd angle.

"Do I get a new Pokédex, Professor Juniper?" White groaned, desperately hoping that she didn't even need to carry it with her.

"No, no I still have your old Pokédex that you gave me two years ago so just use that one," Juniper said lightly. Getting up from her seat, Juniper almost skipped to one of the tall filing cabinets that she had in her office. After typing in a special code on a 9 key number pad, the cabinet drawers flew open. The Professor gave a relieved smile and dug into one of the files named '**White**' and pulled out a baby blue Pokédex with several Pokémon stickers stuck onto the cover, that were now peeling off slightly.

**(A/N Imagine the Pokédex looking like a slightly altered DS like the ones in the first season of Pokémon.) **

White gently took the Pokédex out of the Professors' pale hand and switched it on. It still had a medium battery from the last time she used it.

"Oshawott, can you hold still for me please?" White asked sweetly to the small Pokémon, who was currently prodding the hem of Cherens' while asking him questions in Pokélanguage while Cheren just ignored the small water Pokémon. Just to the fact that he couldn't understand the small Pokémon.

The Pokémon stopped prodding the stoic faced teen and ran over to White. Freezing in front of White, Oshawott struck an adorable pose that just made White crack a smile. After holding up the small camera located in the Pokédex, White pressed the record information button on the touch screen just like Black did, and unwelcomed memories filled her head once more, making her small smile drop down.

"Pokémon: Oshawott. Known moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, and Water Sport. Classification: Water-type. Gender: Female."

Cheren pushed himself up with his elbows and blew some hair out of his face before speaking. "A female Oshawott…most Oshawott's are males so a female is pretty rare, you're lucky to get a female one."

White gulped and nodded. The gender didn't make a difference to her. Pulling her gaze from the small blue and white Pokémon, White looked at Bianca who was now crying in a corner due to the fact that Oshawott had stuck her tongue out at Bianca to spite her. Turning her gaze to Black, White noticed that Black was now receiving 5 Pokéballs from the Professor who waved him off with a smile.

"Thanks Professor, you're the best!" Black exclaimed, shoving the Pokéballs into his pocket. "I'll try to get a backpack in the next town so these unused Pokéballs don't break before I get another Pokémon."

"Make sure to nab some potions from the Pokémarts along the way also, just in case your Pokémon get injured so you don't always have to go to a Pokémon Center to get them healed, but always try to go there in case there is something seriously wrong, and I'm sure White will give you advice along the way so don't worry about anything," Professor Juniper made sure her eyes locked with Whites' pure blue ones. "You've got a great sister to watch your back."

The pony-tailed brunette blushed at the compliment and couldn't help the twitch in her cheek trying to turn into a smile.

At that moment Black got a good look at Oshawott's data on the Pokédex, "Hey White, your Pokémons' moves seem to be a bit more advanced than my Pokémons' moves, why do you get a more experienced Pokémon?" Black seemed to be a tad bit jealous but tried his best not to show it and act more mature.

"Well the answer to that may be that since White was already a trainer, they decided to give White a Pokémon who is just a bit more experienced than your Drilbur, but the difference between experience is nothing major so don't worry about it." The yogurt haired Professor motioned for White to come forward. After White stepped forward, Professor Juniper dug into her lab coat and pulled out 3 Pokéballs, her hand was outstretched for White to receive them. "Sorry you only get 3 White, but Black said he needed as much as he could."

"It's ok Professor, just keep em', it's not like I'm going to catch any Pokémon."

Professor Juniper glared at White so hard that the blue eyed female started to quiver in her spot. "Ok I'll take them!"

"Ah, we finally come to an understanding," Juniper smiled, handing over the capturing devices. "I expect to see you have at least 3 Pokémon the next time I see you."

"Well would I be able to keep my Pokémon-"

At the professors' tough stares, White had to rattle her brain for what she wanted to say, but before she could say anything Juniper beat her to it. "White don't you _dare _keep your Pokémon in that Pokéball all day, you guys should grow closer by just walking together, don't make things difficult, you've got on my bad side already today!"

When the Professor put it so blandly White just nodded her head, not wanting to be a nuisance ever. Oh she could feel the tears coming on, and this time, they were really biting at her eyes. White just lowered her head and nodded, so no one could see her eyes turn pink from the tears. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

><p>"We better get going, it seems like it's going to rain soon," Cheren muttered with a hand over his eyes so he could look at the clouds. "If we want to get to Accumula Town fast enough in order to get a room at the Pokémon Center we better leave, like right now."<p>

Bianca scoffed, a playful smirk making its way up to her baby-like face. "I bet I could get there before all of you!"

Black smiled at a little competition and sniffed in agreement, "Let's race in 5, 4, 3, 2—"

A small ringtone went off and Bianca held up her hand to stop the temporary race. "Sorry about that my Xtransceiver is going off." Switching the receive button on her orange Xtransceiver, she held it up close to her face so she could see the person that she was talking to.

Loud mumblings were heard from phone-type gadget, causing Oshawott and Drilbur to look around in confusion, as they started to walk around looking for a clue as to where the talking was emanating from.

"Ah, ah okay we'll be there in a snap Sir!" Ending the transmission, Bianca looked up worriedly at Cheren. "There's some trouble down in Nimbasa City, we have to go clear it up."

Nodding in understanding, Cheren sent an apologetic look towards White and Black. "Sorry about this guys…oh here." Digging into his pants pocket he pulled out two town maps and handed it to both White and Black. "You guys should be able to navigate anywhere with these maps."

"Thanks _Cherry_," White giggled, mostly to try to relieve herself of her mood.

"Yah thanks _Cherry_," Black said awkwardly, trying out the nickname that White used for Cheren.

Cheren glared at Black for a moment before grounding out in an irritated voice. "Only White can use that nickname, got that little man?"

Nodding in fright Black backed up to hide behind White; Drilbur who was also frightened by the pissed off trainer resorted to hiding behind Oshawott who was 8 inches taller. Cheren just nodded and called out Unfezant from his team. In a flash of light the huge bird Pokémon stood gloriously in front of everyone. The smug bird Pokémon pecked at its feet for a bit before saluting its master with one of its giant claws. The sudden movement caused Oshawott to shudder in fright slightly and falter a bit. The glasses wearing male hopped onto Unfezants' back, and motioned for Bianca to get on also.

"I don't think it's safe for you two to be riding on Unfezant," White said boldly, trying to act as if she had gotten over what happened before. "Something could happen to the poor thing, and with you two on its back, how could he defend himself?"

Bianca glowered slightly at White, already tired of her attitude. After mounting Unfezant, Bianca growled out a White. "We don't weigh more than 150 pounds total so don't get your knickers in a bunch, we'll be fine."

And with that final sentence from Bianca, Unfezant swept off the ground with a powerful wing thrust and started soaring through the sky as if it didn't have anything on its back at all. Some sand kicked up but quickly settled leaving White, Black and their Pokémon in awe at the majestic bird Pokémon.

"Well we better get going then White," Black spoke softly, pointing to an exit out of town. "Come on Drilbur."

"Drilbur," The mole Pokémon exclaimed in delight, as he sped up toward his master, trying to match his large footsteps.

White was still staring at the majestic bird Pokémon in flight and was about to take one step forward when she almost fell flat onto her face due to a light tugging at her ankle. Looking down, White mused at the sight of her cute Oshawott fuming at the sight of Black and his Drilbur already making their way through the tall grass.

"Oshawoootttt," The female otter cried anxiously ready to get a move along.

This caused White to smile a bit as she picked up the petite Oshawott in her arms, deciding that it was _far _too dangerous for a small Pokémon such as Oshawott to walk all by herself. Holding the Pokémon to her chest; she relished the feel of the otter's soft fur against her chin. "Okay Oshawott, we better get going then, we don't want Black and his scrawny little mole to get to Accumula Town before us!"

"Osha!"

Picking up the pace, White reached the town exit and called out for Black to slow down, yet Black wasn't in sight, causing White to shiver nervously. The tall dark grass swarmed all around White, and went up to her waist. White wanted to scream out loud, as she felt she would be soon swallowed whole by the dark grass, and with White being a bit shorter than everyone else, knew she would trip on something. White placed Oshawott on top of her head so she could make her way through the thick grass without accidentally dropping the poor sea mammal.

"Oshawott…" The humble sea mammal cautioned after a few moments of walking, her body tensing up on Whites' cap.

"What is it Oshawott?" White gasped almost falling onto her back as she felt the hair prickle up on her neck adding to her discomfort.

White felt **_completely _**uneasy at the moment, heck she felt uneasy just leaving the Pokémon lab. She knew it would be ridiculous to say that she thought a random person would just come out of nowhere and shoot her new precious Pokémon, and she knew it was ridiculous to say she was scared of grass…**grass. **But indeed she thought that way and yet if nobody came and shot her Pokémon, or if there was no grass at all, Pokémon could still kill _other_ Pokémon; that was just how nature went. The only way to get back in her right frame of mind was to get through these thick patches of grass, and that was proving to be a very difficult task on its own.

The blue and white marine mammal dropped down from Whites' head, catching the petite trainer by surprise.

"Oshawott what are you doing? Oh come on Oshawott! The sooner we get out of here the better!"

Oshawott ignored her trainer; she was too set on protecting her trainer from the oncoming assault. Oshawott grabbed her beige shell from her stomach and held it out in preparation to attack, her button black eyes moving swiftly from side to side to sense any movement in the tall grass. "Osh…wott…"

Tensing up, White felt her whole body freeze in place. Her Pokémon was fixing to get into a battle _by itself_. White just knew she was going to have a panic attack if she saw any other Pokémon besides her Oshawott. Being a social reject didn't seem all that bad now as White contemplated just sprinting back to her house.

A shrill screeching was heard from a tree to their right, as a flurry of feathers swooped down from a high branch and hit Oshawott smack on the head causing her to fall onto her back. Oshawotts' eyes were a bit dazed, but she instantly sprang back up using her tail as a springboard. White gasped at seeing her Pokémon fall then get back up so quickly. It hurt her heart greatly to see her Pokémon take such a blow to the head, but seeing Oshawott get back up as if nothing happened set her heart ablaze with admiration for the strong tiny Pokémon.

A loud cawing erupted from a nearby tree then another flurry of feathers flew at a very high speed toward Oshawott, this time both the otter and White were ready.

White held her breath for a moment before whispering so quietly she wasn't sure Oshawott would hear her. "Water gun…"

But the small otter Pokémon apparently heard her and sucked in some air, causing her cheeks to enlarge. Oshawott held her breath till the mass of feathers were close enough. At the last moment, Oshawott let loose a strong stream of water to the offending Pokémon, earning a strangled cry from the bird Pokémon. In a second, the threatening Pokémon was down for the count.

"Crazy son of a—" Whites' sudden anxiety and fear turned quickly to anger. White stopped short at seeing her tiny otter Pokémon looking up at her eagerly to see what she was going to say next. "Never mind, you did great Oshawott…let's just try to _never _do that again."

Picking up Oshawott and setting her down on Whites' shoulder, Oshawott gazed at the bird in curiosity before snapping her attention back to White who was now speaking to her. "Maybe we should capture this crazy cun—um crazy Pokémon…y'know just to satisfy ol' mean Professor Juniper."

Nodding excitedly, Oshawott pulled on Whites' pony-tail out of nervousness, as if to signal for her to hurry up.

Pulling out a small vacant Pokéball, White enlarged it and took a shaky breath. _What if it tries to attack Oshawott and I even after I catch it…oh god, please bless me! _

White glanced at the fainted bird Pokémon and felt her heart lag down in guilt. She had used her Pokémon to attack this small bird Pokémon who was just probably trying to ward them both of its land. _What type of monster am I to just attack a Pokémon out of fright…I think I'm going to be sick…_

Rolling her shoulders around, Oshawott grunted in discomfort and moved up to sit on top of Whites' head. White sent an apologetic grin to Oshawott, and looked back at the Pokémon and held her breath to prevent from throwing up. Tossing the Pokéball at the winded Pokémon, White clamped her eyes shut and puffed out her cheeks to prevent from freaking out. After a moment White looked up to see that the Pokéball had stopped moving. White walked over cautiously and bended over to pick up the pokeball. "I wonder if I can…"

Pulling out her baby blue Pokédex from her pink shoulder bag, she held the camera part up to the Pokéball, and to her lucky prediction, the robotic voice came through the Pokédex.

"Pokémon: Pidove. Known Moves: Gust, Growl, and Leer. Classification: Flying-type. Gender: Female."

White bit back a chuckle; obviously feeling a tad more relaxed now knowing that the crazy bird Pokémon from before was not going to pop out of its pokeball. Putting the Pokéball into a cushioned compartment of her purse, White raised her head slightly to talk to the small otter Pokémon on her head. White bit back a smile. "Let's hope that the Pokémon center in Accumula Town can do something about this Pokémons PMS, or else we won't be able to do anything with this…Pidove…"

Nodding in agreement Oshawott started to hum a tune as if to symbolize that everything was alright and nothing was going to happen. "Osh-osh-Oshawa-Oshawott-wott…"

* * *

><p>"Finally Accumula Town," White groaned, as did Oshawott.<p>

With a soreness in her feet and thighs, White trudged all around town, her eyes roamed everywhere for her younger brother, but seeing no sign of him, she decided to head to the Pokémon Center. "He could be healing his Pokémon there, knowing him; he'll be challenging every person he sees." White mumbled to Oshawott who nodded at her reasoning.

Following several signs to the Pokémon center, White walked with a small limp. "I can't believe Black wouldn't wait for me! He's been pestering me to go on this journey with him, yet he doesn't even wait for me! What type of inconsiderate jerk does that, Oshawott?" Oshawott just shifted her body on Whites' cap and cooed suddenly at seeing Whites' younger brother.

Whites' eyes followed Oshawotts' paw, until her gaze landed on her younger brother, who was currently yelling at an older teenager who had an uninterested look in his eyes. Ignoring the pain in her legs, White lightly jogged over to where her younger brother and the older teenager were having their argument. White placed herself between Black and the teen and glared at the offending adolescent that towered over her.

The mysterious looking teen wore casual clothing of a white collared dress shirt over a simple long sleeved black shirt. His voluminous olive colored hair was messy and layered. A bland black and white cap was put on his head snugly to top it all off. His choppy bangs that almost covered his eyes gave him that mysterious seductive look, but what caught White off guard was his long hair held together in a low ponytail that gave him a regal look, a sudden desire to see if his hair was a soft as it looked rushed through her fingertips but she quickly deflated that unnatural feeling.

"You are?"

"Um..." White was too busy analyzing his features to hear him ask her a question.

"She's my sister so you better not even make eye-contact with her you piece of—"

White shoved a finger into her younger brothers' chest, stopping him from finishing his sentence. "Don't talk right now potty-mouth."

Turning her aquamarine gaze toward the older teen she put a hand on her hip. "Mind telling me why my brother was yelling at you?"

The mysterious older teen licked his lips and shifted his weight to his other leg, "I beat him in a…I believe it's called a… battle."

White growled lowly and turned around to face her now brooding brother. "You can't just start yelling at another trainer just because they beat you in a…" White shuddered a bit at the word. "_Pokémon Battle._ It makes you seem very immature, so I want you to apologize to this guy right now."

Black shook his head angrily and glared at the teenager standing behind her, "This shit-bag demanded that I let my Pokémon loose if he won against me in a Pokémon battle! He's saying he won't let me go anywhere if I don't release Drilbur right here, _right now_!"

"That's…crazy," White mumbled as she turned around to face the uninterested male. "What's your name?"

"I believe I asked you that first," The tall male said politely, a pleasant smile playing its way onto his elegant features. "I will tell you my name afterwards, I promise."

"White," The blue-eyed trainer growled out lowly, suddenly feeling embarrassed over her slightly weird name. "Now tell me yours so we can get this whole matter over with."

"White? What an interesting name, I quite like it."

Jumping forward, the brown eyed male stood next to his sister and glared at the older male head on. "I don't want scum like you talking to my sister."

"My name is N," The light-green haired male spoke graciously, completely ignoring the fuming 14 year old standing next to White.

"Zorua, Zoru-Zoru," growled a small fox –like Pokémon that emerged from behind N. Its head was held high as it glared at Black. "Zoru…"

"Calm yourself Zorua," N spoke softly to the Pokémon next to him. "We are in no harm here."

White felt her cheek twitch as she saw the Pokémon just walk out from behind N so freely. Was this "_N" _not scared to let his Pokémon run free? _Something must be wrong with this guy…_

"It seems it is about to rain soon," N cautioned gently, his face was tilted in the direction that the clouds were coming in from. "Maybe we could take this little debate inside?"

"Gladly," Black sneered, his face was turning a light red from the anger that was just threatening to break through his usually calm exterior.

Since the group was just outside the Pokémon center, they filed in neatly and took a seat on some plush green couches that the Pokémon center had for lounging around while peoples' Pokémon were healed in the back.

"Look closely at this guy White, see anything familiar?"

For some reason, White felt happy to have a reason to scrutinize this mysterious fellow. In turn for her narrowed gaze, N rewarded her with a charming smile and started to stroke Zorua who was now lying down calmly near N, a smug smile lacing his snout.

"Doesn't really ring a bell, Black…"

The maple eyed male groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets before mimicking Whites' voice. "Does this ring a bell? _Just that weird guy on the news, of which I'm 100% sure is smoking crack_."

Whites' eyes widened at the realization as Oshawott jumped down from Whites' head and ran over to Black, her eyes were clouded with worry as she pleaded out softly, her eyes gazing all over the Pokémon Center then back at Black.

Blacks' eyes softened as he shook his head, "Sorry, I don't know what you're saying."

"She's asking where your Drilbur is," N said suddenly, his eyes were intently focused on the small marine mammal that was clinging onto Blacks' pants nervously. "Can you by chance show her your Drilbur, just so that she knows he's alright?"

"What the hell! You can understand Pokémon? Oh well even if you could I can't show Oshawott that my Drilbur is ok, you wiped the floor with him; because you challenged me to a Pokémon battle even though your Zorua is much more experienced then my own."

"You challenged _him _to a battle?" White asked in disbelief. "You have a stronger Pokémon than Black, everyone could see that, yet you _still _challenge him to a battle? I have a right mind to just slap you—"

All of sudden before she could finish her sentence, Zorua had jumped up and leaped on top of White, his sharp teeth were inches away from her face as he growled and snapped at her. White let out a small shriek, causing Oshawott to jump to action. Using her powerful tail as a springboard once more, Oshawott tackled Zorua in the side head on. Zorua was a knocked off of White onto the floor where Oshawott followed, her eyes daring him to make a move. The dark black and red fox Pokémon was a good foot taller than the otter Pokémon, which caused him to smirk at that fact. Grabbing the shell off her stomach Oshawott motioned him closer; she leered at him, trying to be as intimidating as possible even though it was literally impossible with her attractive marine mammal face. Zorua took a tiny step forward causing Oshawott to swipe blindly around her, even though Oshawott was a good fighter, she wasn't experienced. Zorua let out a haughty laugh and jumped back up onto the couch next to N who was frozen in the moment.

"Are you okay, White?" N asked cautiously, not believing that his own Pokémon would attack a human.

White felt tears build up in the corners of her eyes. Never before had she been so terrified in her life since _that _moment 2 years ago. "No…no I'm not okay…"

Black stood up ubruptly at seeing tears run down Whites' face. Black glared at N and his small Dark-type Pokémon, of whom equally matched Blacks' death glare. "Next time I see your little fox thing do _anything _to intimidate my sister or scare her in any way, I'll kill it myself."

This time, N glared at Black. "I wouldn't try it if I were you."

Black frowned and walked away to the counter where Nurse. Joy was standing cheerfully to give her his Drilbur to heal.

White wiped the tears from her cheeks that fell from her eyes without her wanting them to. Oshawott glanced up at White sadly and hopped onto the couch next to the pony-tailed female. Placing a soft paw on Whites' leg Oshawott gave White a relaxed smile. "Oshawott!"

"Thank you, Oshawott…" White murmured, scooping up Oshawott from her lap and holding her close to her breast. "You are so brave, unlike me, haha…"

Oshawott attempted to laugh along with White to lighten the mood. Once White put her down, N got up from his place on the couch adjacent to hers and walked in front of White. His face looked like one of child that was about to get scolded by his parent. "I'm sorry; Zorua never acted out that way before. I can make it up to you though, one of these days I will, I promise."

"Just don't bother my little brother anymore," White snapped out, still rubbing her eyes for any more stray tears, the same way a small child would.

N flinched and took something off of his wrist to hand to White. "Here, take this, this doesn't count as me repaying my errors to you though, I still have to make this incident up to you. I will one day though, I promise."

White glanced at the object in his hand and noticed that it was a new version of an Xtransceiver. "I can't accept something as nice and as expensive as that."

"And why not?" N frowned unhappily, his forehead crinkling in confusion. "Don't women like expensive things? Aren't expensive things a resolution to most problems in a relationship?"

"A relationship?" White gawked, her cheeks heating up furiously as she snatched the Xtransceiver from his hand and snapped it onto her wrist. "Just stop talking; I'm getting a migraine…"

"Oh, I hear those are painful," N said with much sympathy laced in his voice. White tried to diagnose it as sounding sarcastic but didn't catch any signs of sarcasm. "It's going to be raining till tomorrow, so you better get a room, I think they have rooms you can rent out here at the Pokémon Center."

"Yeah I will rent a room here with Black," White said motioning over to Black who was currently asking so many questions about the process of healing a fainted Pokémon. "You can just return the favor tomorrow."

"Perfect," N said, a childish grin making its way up to his handsome features.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow...First chapter is done and <em>Long<em>**... **Haha hope you all enjoyed because, I really enjoyed this chapter, never before had it been so fun to write :)**

**So I'm eating, em...butter buiscuit rolls, ain't that healthy? XD**

**Yes there are grammical errors, like a whole bunch and now my writing is all loosy goosy, but my grammar will definantly pick up the more I go with this story. **

**If you all could leave a nice little review for me, I'll deeply appreciate it man, tell me what you think, how I could improve, any grammar errors, anything :D And I'll try to make the story better along the way, cool beans? :3 **

**Dedicated to my Dear Friend SilverxBird**

**~Shadow-chan**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I haven't updated, I usually update sooner than this...:/**

**Anyway please vote on my pole for faster updates, it's part of my school work that I have to interview people so...yeah more votes, the sooner I can finish my HW and get to work on more of these chapters :3**

**Dedicated to: SilverxBird **

**Song of the Day: Dream Fighter**

**Disclaimer: I don't fuggin own Pokemon! If I did, why would I be here? I would be make that show into a friggen gold mine of romance XD If you sue me...I'll cut you =_=**

**No I do not play the viola very well, I picked it up about a year ago? I primarily play the sax. White was supposed to play the violin, my sis said that was too cliche, switch it up with another string instrument. So here is the result. My sis is the string player in the fam, so I get tips and tricks from her. I hope it doesn't take away from the story. :DDD**

* * *

><p>"That dude gets on my damn nerves," Black growled, his arms were crossed in front of him to amplify how serious he was. "I don't get how you didn't just barf all over him when he was talking to you."<p>

White turned to her brown-eyed brother and glared at him threateningly. "You better shut it, besides he can't make you do anything you don't want to do. Just ignore it, you're over reacting anyway. You won't see that guy anymore anyway I swear."

"Um, sorry but can I help you? You're holding up the line Miss," A pink haired nurse mumbled feebly, obviously worn out from her twenty-four hour job.

Glancing behind her, Whites' blue eyes widened in surprise, before she turned around to face the grumbling line behind her, "Sorry everyone, really I am!" Turning around quickly on her heel, White dug into her purse compartment and withdrew the Pokéball in which she caught Pidove. Holding the Pokéball out to Nurse Joy, she felt her hand tremble. "Here's a Pokémon I caught…I hope you can make it feel better, I hurt it really bad to catch it and, I didn't mean too I was just—"

Nurse Joy held up her hand to cut White off and gave her a tender smile of understanding. "A lot of trainers feel that way, we can fix the damage done to your Pidove, but the personal relationship between you two is up for you guys to work out."

"But how can I, if I hurt it in the first—"

"You'll work it out, things will be bumpy at first and your Pokémon will probably be angry at you for a little while, but you'll grow a stronger relationship with Pokémon, as long as your kind to it, and it'll be okay, trust me."

White nodded her head and glanced at Black who stood stone still with his jaw almost hitting the floor. "What's wrong Black?"

"You caught a Pokémon and didn't even tell me? I found out just now when I could of…" Black trailed off, tears were running down his face in a comical fashion as he fumbled with the 5 unused Pokéballs in his pocket.

The pink-haired nurse received the Pokéball containing Pidove from Whites' outstretched hand. "Pidove will be in good hands." Turning around to a plump Chansey, Nurse Joy handed the Pokéball to her, causing the Pokémon to run off to the medical unit.

"Yes thank you, and may we rent a room here if there are any left?" White mulled out, suddenly feeling the weight of this long day on her shoulders. "My brother should have _already_ rented one though."

The nurse nodded and dug out a clipboard and piece of paper from under the counter. "Just sign on one of the lines and…" Digging under her desk once more, the pink haired Lolita pulled out a small card with a black strip on it. "Once you find your room just swipe this card into a little credit card looking thing and it should open up automatically."

Handing back the clipboard with both Blacks' and her signature, White reached out and received the access card. "Thank you so much Nurse Joy."

Nodding happily, Nurse Joy received the Pokéball back from Chansey in a matter of seconds and handed the Pokéball containing Pidove back to White. Whites' eyes widened in surprise at how quickly they could heal a Pokémon and was about to ask the nurse how they did it, but Nurse Joy cut her off politely and told them both gently to wash up and get some rest.

After walking past some automatic doors that led to the rooms in the Pokémon Center, White caught a glimpse of the tall green-haired male from before. He was talking to some people in weird outfits but White just brushed that awkward sight off as weird people getting together with other weird people. Once Black yelled out that he found their room, White hissed at him to shut up.

"People are sleeping you dumbass!"

"Well then, they'll wake up to hear my beautiful voice," Black said defensively, obviously not liking to be made a fool of.

Gazing at the drab pink automatic door before her, White pulled the access card that Nurse Joy gave her from her pocket and swiped it in a credit card looking slot. The light that stood next to the card-swipe was red but then flickered green once White had swiped the card. A successful click erupted from the door and both Black and White sighed in relief as the automatic door opened and they filed inside. The door closed behind them both leaving White to kick off her sneakers and plop down on the bed that was on left side of the room with a rough whine. Black chuckled at the sight of his sister acting so un-ladylike.

Oshawott had been quiet the whole while but then plopped down from Whites' shoulder and landed on the bed head first causing her to grunt at the unexpected impact. "Osha~"

Pushing herself up on her elbows, White felt a relaxed sort of feeling dawn on her at seeing her Pokémon so at home with her. "Do you think that guy can really talk to Pokémon?"

"Why did you have to bring up that…er, weirdo," Black mumbled, falling onto his bed on the opposite side of the room. "You like putting me in a bad mood don't you White?"

White scoffed at what he said. "Why are you so testy about this subject?"

"I don't know, really I don't," Black said. He was lying down on the bed playing nervously with Drilburs' Pokéball. "I just have an urge to kick his nuts into pancakes, that is, if that fag even had nuts."

Rolling her eyes at that poor attempt of a rude joke, White glanced at Oshawott who had a worried look in her eyes as she sat down and leaned against Whites' arm.

"I think he was right though when he said if you showed Oshawott your Drilbur, she'll be calm again."

"Oh yeah," Black mumbled, his face had turned a light red in anger at the fact that N might actually be able to talk to Pokémon and be right about something. Enlarging the Pokéball, Black threw it up into the air as the white beam of light erupted from the ball then flew back to Black. Drilbur was sitting on the floor; his eyes were half-lidded, probably because he might have been sleeping inside the ball. "See Oshawott, Drilbur is fine now…Nurse Joy fixed him up."

Oshawott hopped down from the bed and sat down across from Drilbur, who gave her a sleepy smile.

**Inside A Pokémons mind**

**_"How do you feel Drilbur?" Oshawott asked, her eyes looked more relieved at seeing her friend but a form of worry still resided in her button black eyes._**

**_"Ha, I feel pretty good," Drilbur drawled, his eyelids almost closing a good amount of times. "What about you? Meet any 'savages'?" He said loosely, making fun of Whites' interpretation of the world around her._**

**_Frowning deeply, Oshawott shot Drilbur a warning glare, causing him to send her an apologetic smile. After a bit of silence, Oshawott spoke again. "What happened between you and that Zorua by the way? You must have seen what happened; these humans have lied quite often, specifically your companion. Mind telling me what happened?"_**

**_"Yeah, um it all started when Black saw that guy with the green hair…I think his name was N, yeah it was. So we saw N completely wipe out these other Pokémon, and their person was freaking out, I've never seen anything like it. Black seemed to be feeling pretty good, since we've beaten about 3 other trainers, then N saw us watching and told Black that he had worn me out, and he just glanced at me once. I was shocked, because I was feeling really worn out! But Black seemed to get so mad at just the sight of his dude and was just saying that he was a…well I shouldn't say those types of words, but that caused that N to challenge Black to Pokémon battle."_**

**_"I had a feeling Black wasn't so innocent," Oshawott grumbled. Using one paw to smooth out her glistening whiskers, Oshawott felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "That N's Zorua is a real pervert, he had some nerve to say what he did after he attacked White…He's just lucky I had a spaz attack when he stepped closer, or else I probably would have cut off one of his ears."_**

**_Drilbur chuckled and nodded. "Don't tell me what he said or I'd probably die of laughter, and I feel a bit too sleepy to die."_**

**_"What do you mean you would 'die of laughter'?" Oshawott growled out from humiliation. "What's so funny about that you jerk?"_**

**_"I always found Water Pokémon and Grass Pokémon to be very repulsive, just by looks."_**

**_Glaring holes into Drilbur with her eyes, Oshawott took off her shell slowly, causing Drilbur to recoil quickly, holding his claws over his head for protection. "I always thought you looked like an entrée at a high class diner."_**

**_"That's not very nice! You haven't even been to a diner, and neither have I!" Drilbur squeaked._**

**_Out of a Pokémons Mind_**

White looked over to Oshawott who was now attempting to crawl back up onto the bed. After a few tries the otter Pokémon was successfully back onto the bed, leaning against White once more. Snuggling down in the bed next to White, Oshawott gave a relaxed sigh.

"Why don't we see that Pidove you caught," Black said hurriedly, trying to avert the conversation from N before he blew another gasket. "It's a male right?"

"Nope another female," White deadpanned, obviously bummed at the idea of having a temperamental, Pokémon on her team, that could very likely peck out one of her eyeballs without a thought. "I don't think it's a good idea to let her out of her Pokéball…"

Black sent White a scornful look, as if he was a mother was scolding a child for eating plain sugar straight out of the sugar bowl. "You know what the Professor said White, it's not good to keep a Pokémon inside its' ball, c'mon don't be a little paranoid freak right now! I really want to see this Pokémon you caught."

"I'm surprised you didn't catch a Pokémon before me Black."

"Shut up and let your Pokémon out of the damn ball!"

Whites' face broke into a goofy smile at how easy it was to push her brothers' buttons. "I'll let it out ok? Um is the door closed?"

Glancing quickly from the automatic door and back to White, Black gave an anxious nod; his eyes were practically jumping out of his skull in excitement. "C'mon White…"

Feeling her pulse quicken, White looked to the wide window that was behind both of their beds and just sighed. She felt cold inside, as if she had a fever and someone stuck an uncomfortably cold icepack on her chest, back, and neck. Reaching into her small pink purse, White withdrew Pidoves' Pokéball out of the cushioned compartment of her purse and before even thinking, enlarged it and threw it up into the air. In a flash of light, Pidove was standing calmly on the foot of Whites' bed. Its' feathers were no longer fluffed up in an intimidating way. Its' eyes were glassy and a light honey color. The beak of Pidove was onyx black and shined against the calm light that the lamp radiated. There were some pink patches next to beak adding a sort of elegance to the Pokémon, even though she was incredibly small, about the same size as Blacks' Drilbur. Her face and chest were a light gray, though there was a beige heart-shaped mark on her stomach. Her back and wings were pitch black, though a simple gray line ran through the middle of her wings, adding to the dark elegance of this small but beautiful Pokémon.

"Wow…" Black mumbled, his eyes scanning the Pidove in front of him. "I bet she fights really well, just look at those muscles in her wings!"

White shivered as she looked at the athletic wings of the Pokémon. _Like it makes this situation any better, she can catch up to me easily if I'm running away…Great, I wish I caught an obese Pokémon at least!_

"Oshawott," The cute marine mammal Pokémon cooed, at the sight of the smaller bird Pokémon. It stood up from Whites' arm and walked over to the small bird Pokémon. Raising her paw in hello, Oshawott gave Pidove a goofy smile. "Osha!"

The bird Pokémon cocked its head at Oshawott and observed her carefully, as if planning a strategy in case Oshawott decided to attack her in any moment. "Pidove…"

White felt a bit more at ease. Seeing her Oshawott calmly walk over to this intimidating Pokémon and salute it with not a single ounce of worry was soothing to White as she allowed a small smile to grace her face. Glancing over to Black, she noticed his eyes were a bit downcast even though he had a wide smile on his face. "This is so cool White, you're so lucky!"

"Am I really?" White joked, trying to pull herself out of her last awkward moment.

"Well, no der," Black scoffed as he fell backwards onto his back, his eyes tracing the ceiling above him as he let out a sad sigh. "Do you think she would be proud…I mean, of us?"

Feeling confused for a moment, White met Blacks' gaze and sighed in understanding. "I'm sure Mom would be proud of us right now Black. We're good kids, and she loved us a lot. If she were still on this earth right now, I'm sure she would be nagging us with her phone calls!"

"She would?" Black queried, flipping on to his stomach. A light blush adorning his cheeks at how childish he sounded, though he knew this was the only way he felt relaxed.

"I'm sure she would," White grumbled, somewhat forcing the words out of her mouth. "Don't ask about Dad, Black."

"I know already White; I don't even want to know about him."

Widening her eyes at how much of an impact she had on Black with just her words, White snapped her head in his direction and tried to forge a smile. "Don't hate our…father; he just decided that Pokémon was more for him, that's all."

Glaring angrily at White with frustration Black threw his arms into the air. "Isn't family more important than Pokémon?"

"Pokémon _are _family!"

"Well then why couldn't he still—"

"Oshawott…" The otter Pokémon said hungrily, rubbing her stomach in a circle motion. Then pointing her paw to her mouth, Oshawott again moaned. Even though Oshawott was trying to break up the tension in the air, she was feeling a bit famished.

"Pidove," The honey-eyed bird Pokémon said from behind Oshawott cautiously, trying to hide from Whites' gaze. "Pi~"

Turning her gaze to look at Oshawott then back to Black, she noticed he was also making the same motion that Oshawott was doing. "Can you get me something to eat White? I'm so hungry…I think I might just puke out my stomach any minute now…"

Sighing tiredly, White nodded and stood up slowly, feeling grateful to Oshawott for breaking up any future fights between the two siblings. "Come on Oshawott, em…Pidove, you can come too."

Humming in delight, Oshawott jumped down and motioned for Pidove to do the same. The glass eyed bird Pokémon flew off the bed and onto Whites' shoulder which caught White by surprise. Feeling a few shivers run down her spine, White glanced at Pidove out of the corner of her eye. Pidove looked at White too, but her gaze was a bit more intimidating.

"Are you hungry Drilbur," White said abruptly, switching her gaze from the daunting bird Pokémon on her shoulder to the small drilling Pokémon that was lying next to Black, his eyes closing every few seconds. After a while, Drilbur nodded his head in response to Whites' question and started to doze off.

"Yeah, I'm sure Drilbur will wake up as soon as you bring us all some food," Black chuckled lightly to play off the slightly embarrassing situation.

Nodding in indifference, White glanced to her sneakers that lay at the foot of her bed and down to her pink socked feet. "Ah, I guess it won't matter walking around without sneakers on, I mean this place is pretty clean…"

"Whatever, just please bring me some mashed potatoes and Oran Berry Juice, I swear there is something wrong with my intestines so I need to wash it out with some juice…"

"Okay, okay you don't need to go into detail!" White shouted frantically, making her way to the automatic door. "What should I get Drilbur?"

"I think he likes candy only…yeah just get him some Caterpie Cotton Candy," Black mumbled, holding his pointer finger up to his lips in his usual thinking motion. "Or get him some bacon; I don't know he probably eats anything."

Feeling slightly miffed, White nodded and exited the room. Trying her best to keep her shoulders steady, White looked down to see Oshawott happily skipping along, her tail bobbing along with each step. Shifting her gaze to the temperamental bird Pokémon on her shoulder, White offered her a weak smile. "Eh, my name is White…?" _What the hell was that? Was a asking a frickin question?_

"Pidove," it replied casually, not even bothering to make eye contact with White. All of a sudden Pidove shook out her wings, which hit White in the side of her head causing her to swear in surprise. Pidove let out a small snigger and jumped off of Whites' shoulder and started soaring around White and Oshawott in the air. "Pi~"

"Oshawott!" the tiny marine mammal cooed in surprise at seeing the elegant bird Pokémon take flight.

"Does that feel better Pidove?" White asked curiously, suddenly feeling corrupt for wanting to keep her new Pokémon all cramped up in her Pokéball. Pidove tweeted in response to White and flew in faster circles around the two. "Well we better hurry to the Cafeteria or else Black is going to pass out from immense bowel pressure."

Kneeling down, White picked up Oshawott in her arms and rubbed her chin lightly against the soft fur of Oshawotts hair. "Now where is the Cafeteria?"

White decided to keep walking through the hallway until she saw some signs, her eyes gliding every few seconds to Pidove who was flying dutifully next to White, also on the lookout for any indications of where the Cafeteria might be. Oshawott wriggled in Whites' arms to get her attention. Once White looked down to see was Oshawott wanted, the blue/white Pokémon pointed a slender paw toward a slightly open door at the bend of the corridor. White sighed in relief and jogged over to the door quietly, motioning with her hand for Pidove to pick up the pace also. The only sound White heard was the thumping of her feet against the hard carpet floor, and the chatter of many people and Pokémon coming from the supposed Cafeteria. Not wanting to enter a room without knowing what the room contained, White stepped back a bit and looked at the sign above the room that read.

**_Please Join Us For A Fine Meal, Courtesy of The Pokémon Center!_**

"This is it then I suppose," White said, slightly inclining her head to the left to make sure Pidove was still hovering next to her.

Pidove landed on Whites' shoulder and nestled in the crook of her neck for warmth. Her feathers tickled Whites' jaw, making White giggle lightly.

Opening the door cautiously, White strode into the huge Cafeteria and took in the image of all the trainers and breeders with their Pokémon, all eating and smiling, in what seemed a perfect harmony. There were about twelve tables with ten seats each, and it seemed that all tables were full. The floor was wooden, which was a surprise, since in Whites' old school, the floors were made of tile. Of course the tile would be the drabbest shade of gray, but with this bright wooden floor, it made the room seem vivid with life and happiness.

All of a sudden, White felt embarrassed for only wearing socks. Looking around cautiously to make sure no one was paying attention to her, White broke into a light jog, and ran over to the food stands, careful not to sway her shoulders too much, in fear that Pidove would fall off and injure herself.

Entering a line for main courses, White grabbed a dark green tray and slid it onto a moving, grey metal belt. There was a long line ahead of her, which caused White to groan and put her weight onto her left leg. It seemed that every person took about thirty minutes just to choose what they wanted, when it only took a minute for White to decide what she wanted.

Seeing that she had a lot of time, White settled Oshawott on the moving tray in front of her and gave her a light smile, "What would you like to eat Oshawott?"

"Osh…" Oshawott pondered for a moment but stood up on the plastic tray and turned around carefully to gaze at the wide variety of foods that they had behind a wide glass. Seeing some clams and oysters laying neatly on top of one another in a small container made Oshawotts eyes widen in happiness. Pointing a pure white paw in the direction of the clams and oysters, Oshawott hooted in her final decision. "Oshawott…mmm!"

"Ah, okay then Oshawott…seems we're last in line so in case you see anything else you want instead, just tell me okay?" White said, her eyes gleaming at seeing her Pokémon so happy at just the sight of food. Turning her head to look at Pidove on her shoulder, White offered a weak smile. "So what would you like…Pidove?"

Fluttering lightly off of Whites' shoulder and onto the tray next to Oshawott, Pidove tweeted and pointed her wing in the direction of a container of sizzling, juicy long green beans. They seemed to of been covered in a light brown sauce. "Pidove~"

"Oh those do look really good," White cheered. "I think I'll get some diced up tomatoes and cucumbers though."

Oshawott and Pidove nodded at her decision and turned to each other to discourse.

**_Inside a Pokémons Mind_**

**_"Isn't our person nice Pidove?" Oshawott breathed; her eyes held a fluid warmth within them as she spoke of White. "We're quite lucky to have someone as nice as her."_**

**_"I don't like her," Pidove said gingerly, her eyes narrowing slightly. "If I pretend to be nice to her, maybe she'll let me go."_**

**_Oshawotts' eyes widened as she held up her arms and waved them around in a flailing motion. "Oh please, White needs us! She has so much pain…can't you stay with us? White treats us with a large amount of respect."_**

**_"Oh like carrying you around like a toy?"_**

**_Growling lowly Oshawott held up a warning paw, causing Pidove to flinch backwards slightly. "White has been through a lot, and me and White have a close bond…you can leave any time, White won't hold you back. Just know that you will only break her down worse than she already is." Lowering her paw, Oshawott breathed out lowly and closed her eyes slightly before opening them again with a determined gaze in her eyes. "White and I are connected in a way…I can't explain it, but I feel what she does. I will never leave her side, I don't want to, and I've just been with her for just one day."_**

**_Pidove flexed her wings outward slightly and nodded her head. "I'm not unreasonable, but she's weak minded. I'd rather have a person who has a strong will."_**

**_"She's not scared of many things, I assure you."_**

**_"She's scared of progress!"_**

**_Oshawott exhaled and sat down on the moving tray, her eyes locked with Pidove. "Do what you like."_**

**_"Well, well it's the little daredevil from before!" Spoke a smooth voice._**

**_Snapping out her wings defensively, Pidove glared at the larger fox. "Just who are you?"_**

**_"What do you want Zorua?" Oshawott cried, standing up quickly and grabbing the shell off of her stomach. _**

**_"I want something to eat," Zorua said simply, his eyes gazing into Oshawotts with much interest as he leapt gracefully over to where Oshawott and Pidoves tray was moving. "Why else would I be here?"_**

**_Out of A Pokémons Mind_**

"What are you doing here?" White asked, completely flabbergasted at seeing the tall male from before standing next to her in line with his own tray so casually.

"I'm getting something to eat," N said simply, offering her a kind smile as they both moved down the decreasing line slowly.

White clamped her mouth shut and felt a blush rise up to her cheeks in embarrassment. _Dear god of course he's getting something to eat, why else would somebody be in a food line? And I'm wearing just socks…god damn it I'm going to wear my tennis shoes everywhere, no matter how lazy I am!_

"They seem to have a nice variety of food," N said softly, his eyes gliding smoothly from each container of food as they both shuffled down the line. "I believe I'm going to get some grilled chicken for Zorua and some Oran berries."

"What about you?" White asked, though her eyes focused on the prices above the food platters.

"The Oran berries are for me," N said quietly, his eyes snapping back to Zorua and Oshawott every few seconds. After a while, N tapped Zorua lightly on the head with his index finger and whispered for him to be quiet before looking back to White. "I'm sorry if my Zorua bothers your Oshawott."

White gazed at N incredulously, before turning her head away to look at an elderly old lady who was politely asking for Whites' order. "I'm sorry, may I have a container of mashed potatoes, some clams and oysters raw…what else…oh yeah, a small bag of Caterpie Cotton Candy, a small container of those long green beans, some diced tomatoes and cucumbers, and two large bottles of Oran Berry Juice and milk."

"Sure thing honey, but you are sharing that order with someone right?" The white-haired lady asked, an amused smile playing at her lips.

White flushed and nodded bashfully before sliding her tray down the line more with N following.

"One grilled chicken breast and Oran berries please," N said with his usual graciousness. "That will be it."

"Sure thing handsome," said a middle-aged woman, coming out from the back.

After a moment, Whites' order was handed back. Everything was stacked neatly in black containers inside a large orange paper bag. Paying her order to every cent, White exited the line and stood for a moment. Without knowing what she was really doing; White took a glance back at N who was now paying. Zorua was standing on N's tray, glaring up at the cashier lady while gnawing on his grilled chicken.

"Pidove," The small bird Pokémon cooed as it tried to peck through the paper bag to get to her green beans. "Pi-Pi-Pidove!"

"Osh…" Oshawott scolded, holding out an arm to block Pidoves' pecks.

Rolling her eyes, Pidove stuck out her tongue, sat down on the green tray gently and buried her head backwards into the protection and darkness of her wide wings.

"White," N's charming voice called out. His eyes held a sort of childish delight, as if meeting with a new friend for the first time. "What would you like to do tomorrow?"

"You really meant that? I thought you were joking…"

A flash of hurt crossed over N's face but he quickly covered it. "Of course I meant it…did I say anything to make you think that—"

"No, no never mind," White said quickly, rolling her aquamarine eyes slightly. "Why don't we just forget about the whole thing?"

"Why?" N asked. It seemed as if a moment of happiness had deflated within him causing White to wince slightly.

Balancing the heavy tray on one hand, White nervously scratched the back of her neck. "Well my brother really wouldn't want me to hang out with you. I know he's my younger brother and all, but still…y'know?"

"I'm sorry I don't know," N mumbled. He stepped forward and received the heavy tray from her other hand. "The tray seemed a bit heavy for you, so it would only be natural that I carry it for you. Why don't I carry this for you, and you tell me why I can't make…_that incident _up to you."

Pidove and Oshawott seemed surprise at the exchange of trays and hopped off to be by White. Oshawott stood by Whites' feet, while Pidove flew off the floor onto Whites' shoulder and buried her head into her wings again.

"No, no, it wasn't all that heavy," White said franticly. Rushing forward to take back her tray, N stepped backwards sharply and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Please?"

Glaring up at N, White tried her best to seem taller than she actually was by standing on the tips of her toes. Though as hard as she tried to look tall, N still loomed over her with a childish grin on his face.

"Okay alright, you win!" White growled. Pointing in the direction of Black and her room, White led the way with N following.

"Can you tell me now?" N asked from behind White as soon as they neared her room.

Sighing angrily, White stopped a few feet away from the room and turned around sharply to face the taller teenager. His grey eyes seemed to stop her from exploding into a tantrum. "Well you see I'm happy to just forget about this incident, aren't you? You don't have to make up anything to me okay, it's alright. I'm not going to hold anything against you."

"I want to make it up to you," N said quietly, his eyes moved ever so lightly as he took in her facial features. "It's only right that I do so."

"Stop bothering me," White ground out, now understanding why this guy irked her little brother so much.

N handed White back her tray gently and gave her a kind smile. "I'll meet you at the entrance of the Pokémon center."

Whites' eyes widened as she held her tray much tighter than she need to. "Why do you want to do this so bad?"

"A Gentleman always makes sure that his mistakes are repaid," N said, whilst looking at Zorua to avoid eye-contact with White. "What would you like to do tomorrow?"

"I really don't know," White answered quickly, desperately wishing to head back into her room and just dump the heavy tray of food. "I'm not going to argue with you, and my arms are killing me! Look, let's just see tomorrow, alright…er, what was your name?"

"N," The green haired male said quickly, earning a confused look from the brunette. "My name is N…"

White gave him an apologetic grin. "Sorry… um, goodnight N!"

N gave White a charming smile and started to walk away, down the hall towards his own room. While on the way down, N and Zorua seemed to chat vividly, as if they truly understood each other. White glanced at them both and felt a small smile tug at her lips. _They seem to have a really close bond…Like Dewott and I did…_

"Oshawott," the marine mammal said hurriedly from near Whites' feet. Oshawotts' heart seemed to beat quickly as she felt the emotions White was feeling at the moment. "Osh…"

"Yeah let's go inside now," White mumbled, breaking her trance from the green-haired male that was already long gone down the hall.

Sliding the access card again through the card slot, White entered the room and found both Black and Drilbur asleep on top of the bed. Their snores echoed out evenly as they breathed in and out at the same time. Giggling lightly, White went up to her bed and put the tray down on top of the covers. Tiptoeing back over to Black and Drilbur, White leaned over Blacks' body and pinched his two nostrils together. Instantly, Blacks' snoring stopped and was replaced with more labored breathing through his mouth. After a moment, Blacks' maple syrup eyes snapped open as slapped Whites' hand away and panted heavily. "What the hell! You always do that to me! What if I'm an old dude? You're going to kill me!"

"It was just to wake you up you little pussy," White chuckled out. "I've been doing that to you since you were born."

"I wonder why I'm not dead yet," Black groaned out while rubbing his nose. While rubbing his now red nose, his eyes landed on the steaming food. "Ah, yes about time!"

"You're welcome," White snapped out while walking over to her bed to eat.

Black woke up Drilbur gently with a push to the shoulder and carried him over to the tray of food. Soon everybody was sitting on Whites' twin sized bed. Oshawott was getting her shell ready to crack open some clams and oysters while Pidove was glaring at the bag as if to open it herself telepathically. Black was busy licking his lips and rubbing his hands together. Drilbur was…well Drilbur fell asleep again.

"Should we pray first?" White asked, feeling very famished herself.

"Hell no!" Black practically screamed out, ready to dive into the food himself.

Glaring at Black for a moment, White proceeded to dig into the orange paper bag and pull out a small black container with Pidoves' juicy green beans. Opening it quickly, White placed it gently in front of Pidove who instantly started to peck into her meal. "Pidove~"

"Glad you like it Pidove, now can I get my meal White?"

"Don't get your thong in a bunch," White growled. Digging into the huge bag again, White pulled out a pink Styrofoam cup with a plastic lid, the insides were completely filled with mashed potatoes. Handing it over to the now drooling male, White handed him a spoon from her pocket. "Now stuff your face."

"What no gravy! How the heck am I supposed to eat this?"

"Say something one more time and I swear I will—"

"It's all good, it's all good!"

"That's what I thought," White snorted out.

After a moment, everybody was served and full from their meal. Happy groans echoed out of each corner of the room as everybody rubbed their stomachs and laughed. Oshawott and Pidove were napping on the pillow of Whites' bed while Drilbur had managed his way onto Blacks' lap and proceeded to sleep in the crevice of Blacks' crossed legs.

"Thanks sis," Black moaned out. "My stomach feels all good now…"

Nodding, White held up the glass bottle of milk she had ordered and took a big gulp. After a chilled breath, White gave Black a Cheshire grin. "We should really go to sleep now Black…we have, well I have a big day tomorrow."

"What are you talking about?" Black asked, his forehead creasing in confusion. "Bianca and Cheren are going to come back tomorrow or…"

"No nothing like that," White said, her gaze becoming more furrowed. "This guy has to make something up to me—"

"You're going to make out with a guy tomorrow?" Black gasped, his mouth becoming a wide 'O' before his mouth closed and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Have I met this guy before?"

"Get your head out of the gutter," White sputtered. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, we're probably going to just go get some ice-cream tomorrow, and the worst part is that it's with that weird guy from earlier."

Blacks' face dropped as he glared at White. His jaw was visibly clenching and unclenching in an attempt to hide his anger. "Why didn't you say no? My god White, can't we, as regular brother and sister hate the same people?"

"Trust me I tried to say no," White muttered, leaning against the wall next to her bed. "I'm just going to get this over with Black…and I don't hate him as a matter of fact. I have no reason to, even though you hate him, I see nothing wrong…in general about him. Just the fact that he probably has the best manners I've ever seen in a male in my lifetime!"

"Whatever," Black mumbled. "Just don't say anything about that guy okay? I _really _don't like him, don't scold me about it now either, I hate him, plain and simple."

"But, why?"

Picking up Drilbur quietly, Black silently made his way back over to his bed and put Drilbur down gently on top of the pillow. Taking a moment to breathe in and out, Black spoke softly. "I don't know…I wish I knew why I hate him as much as I do… damn I sound crazy!"

"Weirdo," White said comically, desperately trying to lighten the mood. "Um goodnight Black, I think I'm going to take a bath first, what about you?"

In a flash, Blacks' bad mood was "gone" though his new disposition was obviously a bit forced. "Did we even bring clothes from home?"

"Oh my goodness…I don't think so!"

"Gah, White you're my _older _sister, aren't you the one that is supposed to think of everything? Jesus now what will we do, I refuse to wear my boxers for more than two days without a good wash."

Looking franticly around the room for any sign of additional clothing, White sighed and deadpanned. "Go to the PokéMart and buy us a whole load of clothes with a big backpack, got it Black?"

"Why me?"

"Because I got the food," White growled, already making her way to the bathroom with Oshawott and Pidove now wide awake in her arms. "My new clothes better be on the bed by the time I'm done with my bath or else you're in trouble."

Black ran over to his sneakers and called for Drilbur to wake up. In a split second Drilbur was awake and was running out of the room with Black in order to avoid Whites' wrath. White smirked after the two and headed into the private bathroom that was placed conveniently in their room. Closing and locking the door securely behind her, White sighed and turned on the tap in the bath. The bath itself was a pure white with golden handles that just spelled elegance. The walls were beige pink, giving the room a cozy glow with the warm lights that hung above the golden sink.

Oshawotts' big dusky eyes sparkled at the sight of running water and without another thought, she jumped into the bathtub. The water hadn't even covered the bottom of the tub yet so Oshawott sat down on a dry spot in the bathtub and waited eagerly for the water to fill the wide bathtub.

"Oshawott, _I_ was supposed to be the one to take a bath," White said. The sound of her voice seemed to decrease with each word when she saw the sad look on Oshawotts' face. "Well I guess we can take a bath together…oh geez."

"Oshawott~" Oshawott said cheerfully, at the newfound privilege. The water had started to rise up midway so Oshawott could now swim around a bit. Taking a few expert strides in the tub, Oshawott started to drift on her back. "Osh-Osh-Osh-Oshawott~"

"You really like singing huh, Oshawott?" White questioned, whilst removing her vest. "I used to like to sing, but I found my passion in the viola. Are you going to take a bath with us too Pidove?"

"Pidove…" cawed the grandiose bird Pokémon as it flew over to the rim of the bathtub and dipped her head into the water. Raising her head out of the water, Pidove shook her head wildly, causing the water droplets to land all over her feathers. The water droplets sparkled on her dusky feathers as Pidove glided off the rim and onto the seat of the toilet to roost down. "Pi…"

White felt an amused smile make its way to her face as she removed all of her clothing and sit down in the nearly full bathtub. The water was lukewarm and felt just right on her skin. The weather had been getting chillier at night and White knew that she couldn't go to sleep or go out with shorts and a tank top. So she thanked god that Black was going to purchase some clothing, and she didn't mind since Black was the one that had the good fashion sense. Luckily the Pokémon Center had also stocked the bathrooms with towels and hair products and everything else a woman or man should need, even the "dirty" needs, at which of course White blushed at and ignored.

Taking an azure shampoo bottle from the rim of the bathtub, White proceeded to bathe herself. Oshawott in the meanwhile was playing with the suds that fell off of Whites' long hair, after a few minutes, Oshawott had collected enough soapsuds to create any figure she wanted, so she created a Pokéball, a deformed hat, and even Pidove. Sighing loudly, White rinsed herself off with an attachable hose that connected to the bathtubs' faucet and started to comb through her hair with her fingers. Oshawott sat close to White so that she could rinse her off also. Oshawott hopped out of the tub and dried in what seemed an instant. Pidove clucked at Oshawott in annoyance when the small otter Pokémon had shook off some water and it had hit Pidove all over, making her wet once more.

White stepped out of the tub and grabbed a simple snowy towel from under the sink cabinets and dried herself off. White stood quiet for a moment before raising her voice and calling out for Black through the door.

"What is it White?"

"Oh nothing, did you get some pajamas?"

"Well no der, what do you want to sleep in a thong? I got you one by the way."

"Why would I want to—oh never mind, did you get some _warm _pajamas?"

White heard an annoyed sigh through the other side of the door. "Yes now please hurry up and get dressed, I want to take a shower!"

"Don't disrespect," White scolded, coming out of the bathroom in a towel wrapped tightly around her body with Oshawott and Pidove following. "Go take your shower, _stinky_."

"I don't stink," Black said gruffly, even though he raised his left arm and took a deep whiff of his armpit. "Nope I still smell 'forest fresh'."

"Hurry up and take your shower," White barked out, pointing an accusing finger toward the bathroom.

Black jumped a bit at Whites' loud voice and motioned for Drilbur to hurry up. Once the bathroom door slammed shut between the two males, White sighed deeply and began to change into the new underwear and warm pajamas that Black had bought her. Sighing contently, White opened the covers of her bed and sat down in the balminess of the bed. Motioning for Oshawott and Pidove to get into bed with her, White could hear Black singing loudly in the running shower. Oshawott hopped over eagerly and snuggled down in the covers, her eyes closing almost instantly. Pidove however was more hesitant and decided to roost down on the foot of the bed. White gazed at Pidove for a moment, trying to decide whether to pull Pidove up from the uncomfortable spot at the foot of the bed or just leave her there. _I'm not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do…hmm; this is going to be much harder than I thought._

"Goodnight Pidove, goodnight Oshawott," White said, a worn-out undertone was unmistakable in her voice. "Let's hope we can endure tomorrow."

And with that, White leaned over and turned off the single lamp, leaving the room in darkness. Lying down in the bed, White pulled the warm covers over herself and Oshawott, careful not to wake Pidove. Feeling that sleep wasn't going to come to her easy, White stayed up for a long time, listening to Black sing his beautiful medley. He always was a good singer, and she was a natural viola player, together they were prodigies, but without each other they were just "ok" musicians. Feeling a tired smile, smuggle its way up to her lips, White allowed her cerulean eyes to close.

* * *

><p>"You're late," White ground out, her eyes never leaving N's calming gray ones.<p>

"I apologize," N said humbly, his lip twisted upward in the most sincere grin that White had seen in ages. "Where would you like to go White?"

Feeling a bit bad for snapping, White gave N a smile of her own. "Is ice-cream okay for today?"

"That's a good idea," N said quickly, his lips turned upward into a cheery smile. "We better get going then!"

With N leading the way, they both excited the Pokémon Center. White made sure to keep her hat bent down towards the sun so that nobody saw her face, not wanting anyone that she knew to see her with this guy and think that they were on a _date_.

Oshawott was held tightly in Whites' arms, which proved some difficulty when Oshawott wanted to turn her head to speak to Pidove who was residing tranquilly on Whites' shoulder.

White let out a stressed sigh and looked up at N's back, though she focused on his hair. Seemingly soft and adorably choppy, White wanted to reach out and just _yank _it, and then of course run her fingers through it. Because boys could wear wigs too, right?

"You know where you're going right N?" White groaned out, her neck was starting to hurt so she held up regularly without hunching her head over.

"Ah, it's there," N said as soon as White had finished her sentence. Breaking out into a light jog, N dashed over to the moving ice-cream stand and held up one finger. "One vanilla please…um what would you like White?"

White hurried over to where N was and glared at him, her eyes almost closing since the sun was already beaming into her eyes. "Don't just run off, god your so…" White stopped herself from finishing her sentence and looked up at the ice-cream man with a calm smile. "Sorry about that, may I have one coconut ice-cream?"

"Sure thing, no one ever gets the coconut soft serve, but it's absolutely delicious," The dark skinned ice-cream man said with a wide smile as he opened the mobile glass ice-cream stand and scooped out N's vanilla ice-cream into a cake cone and Whites' coconut ice-cream into a waffle cone. Handing both of the ice-cream cones back to N and White, the man added on to his apparently un-finished sentence. "I should know the coconut is good, I made the recipe myself!"

"Yes it is very good," White said softly, her eyes closing half-way slightly as she took a light lick of the soft serve ice-cream. "My dad used to bring it for me and my brother all the time…"

The dark man shifted slightly as a worried expression came over his face, "I'm really sorry if this is disrespectful but there _is _a line behind you two."

"Thank you," N muttered, whilst licking his ice-cream and handing the man the correct change for the cones.

"No problem for such a good looking couple, just don't bicker too much," the ice-cream man said with a chuckle as he turned to the next people in line and took their orders, now completely ignoring N and White.

White huffed lightly and glared at her ice-cream which now had a tongue sized dent mark from her rough licking. Her grip on the poor cone grew tighter as she muttered to herself. "First he's nice, then rude, and then sarcastic…and old people say the _younger _generation is…"

"Would you like to sit down?" N questioned, cutting her off from her little rant. His hand moved in the direction of a huge water fountain in the center of town. "There are some seats built into the side of the fountain if you would like to sit there."

"You already bought me ice-cream, can I go back to Pokémon Center to meet up with my brother," White huffed out quickly, moving her ice-cream of the reach of Oshawott who was trying to nab a quick lick.

"I wouldn't be—"

"Yes you would," White hissed out quickly, trying to avoid the gaze of nosey bystanders.

N breathed in deeply and then out quickly. His steely eyes darted around the plaza until his gaze landed on a female with light orange hair that was messily tucked into what seemed a dress hoodie. The dress was a light blue completely with a sort of white apron design in the front. The whole design was strapped to her waist with a tight black belt. Her gangly arms and legs were covered with a black spandex and her hands and feet where stuffed into matching gloves and boots. N sent a forced smile her way as soon as she caught a glimpse of him. She glanced at him and a small smile of relief made its way up to her face. Not even bothering to say "excuse me" she started to shove her way through the crowd to get to him, which caused N to frown in displeasure.

The green haired male turned sharply to White and took her wrist into her hand and started to pull her lightly, but quickly over to the water fountain. White growled angrily at him as the sudden movement caused her to drop her ice-cream. N sat down on the gray marble of the water fountain and brought White down gently with him. "I'm sorry about that I just don't want to speak with…" N motioned with his eyes over to the woman from before, of which was now fuming angrily at the sight of White. The ginger haired woman turned sharply and trotted away.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"A girlfriend…well she's a girl, but she's not really my friend if that's what you mean," N replied, taking a chomp out of his ice-cream.

"I wasn't asking if she was your friend," White said lowly, already feeling too exhausted from this day. "Do you know what I mean by girlfriend?"

"I think I would know what girlfriend means!" N said quickly, a humiliated blush started to stain his cheeks. "It's a girl who is a friend, a compound word."

"You're thinking of it too literally," White said, biting back a giggle at his lack of knowledge. "It's someone you share your love with; I guess in a way…well that's not really a good way to explain it."

Oshawott sighed in boredom from Whites' lap and wriggled as hard as she could in Whites' arms. White who was currently busy trying to come up with a logical definition for the word "girlfriend" instantly released her grip on Oshawott who giggled happily and ran into the water of the fountain. Pidove flew off of Whites' shoulder in response to Oshawotts' actions and flew to the top of the fountain to converse with other bird Pokémon that came lurking around the fountain for a good bath.

"Oh, no, no, no Oshawott and Pidove please come back here," White hissed frantically, completely putting Ns' conversation to the side. "There are some _cuckoo _people around here, please come back…my god, my god…"

N noticed immediately how much White seemed to freak out at not having her Pokémon in her sight and stood up also. He turned to Pidove first that was standing on the very top of the fountain and made eye contact with her. Pidoves' big honey-colored eyes widened as she heard N's deep voice ring in her head. She turned her head immediately in N's direction and squawked in fright, as his lips didn't move.

_"What, what is this, how may you speak to me?" Pidove squawked at the foreign voice that was ringing in her head. _

_"Why are you with her? You seem to have a great dislike for her."_

_"How do you know this?"_

_"I have been able to speak with and interpret the feelings of a Pokémon ever since I was young, now please answer my question."_

Pidove fluttered down from her perch atop the fountain and rested on the rim of the fountain. Her eyes narrowed in Ns' as she sought out the answer to her strange dilemma.

_"I'm testing her worth, what's it to you?"_

_"You could fly away at any moment, just do so now, you won't even have to worry about being mistreated. You'll live a happier life, in your natural home."_

_"In due time, but for now I suggest that you stay out of our business, or else something will come to you that you'll wish you had never brought up."_

Whites' bright aquamarine eyes softened at the sight of Pidove closer to her and motioned with a gentle prodding of her elbow for Pidove to hop on. As if the whole process was natural, Pidove hopped elegantly onto Whites' shoulder and pecked a bit hard at the side of Whites' neck, causing the brunette to quickly drop her head to side and whine loudly. "That wasn't nice Pidove! Okay, Oshawott c'mon let's get going now or else Black is going to blow a gasket in the Pokémon Center, and poor Nurse Joy doesn't have to go through that…"

Oshawott was too busy diving in and out of the three foot deep water. She swam among the different shades of Alomomola and Bascuiln, whilst doing powerful and quick spins through the water of which propelled her further. But what stopped Oshawott short was not Whites' light yell for her to come back, but the sight of an struggling Bascuiln that was trying desperately to come up for air. But a fish Pokémon did not usually come up for air did it? Propelling herself to the other side of the fountain, Oshawott placed both paws on the much larger Pokémon and pressed it up to the surface of the water so it could breathe. Instantly it sprang out of her small paws and jumped up high out of the water and a good few feet into the air. The white/blue furred Pokémon sprang out also, though her heart was beating a bit fast in surprise of the sudden movement the Bascuiln had done. Landing not so elegantly on the side of the fountain, Oshawott watched with widened eyes as the fish Pokémon convulsed in the air and turned in a flash of white light into a small dark gray/red fox Pokémon with leering blue eyes.

**_Inside a Pokémons Mind_**

**_"Zorua what are doing as a fish?" Oshawott sputtered as she shook out some water from her clinging fur. "You can change forms?"_**

**_"It's my main power, and I was exercising it," Zorua said with a grunt as he landed on the rim of the fountain with a dissatisfied frown. "I grew a bit weary and…well I don't have to explain myself!"_**

**_"You're welcome," Oshawott growled out before she stopped and took a glance towards N, who was staring at them both intently._**

_"Do you like your trainer?"_

**_Oshawott could hear N's voice clear as day in her mind, and she gave Zorua an uneasy look. He just answered her gaze with a haughty laugh and bounded towards N whilst gaining speed. In a flash, he was already on N's shoulder, petting down a piece of N's green tea hair._**

**_Taking an unsure look at White, she noticed that White was busy scolding Pidove lightly, though her _****_tone was not rude or egotistical, instead there was a sort of fluid calmness that underlined her voice, which was backed up by a tenderer sort of love. Looking back towards N, Oshawott nodded her head._**

**_"I really wouldn't ask for anything else."_**

_"You're free to leave, whenever you please."_

**_"Why would I want to be by myself?"_**

_"Don't you have any family, or friends?"_

**_"I've never known my family, but I have a new one. Um goodbye, sir, White needs me right now, and... I'd never abandon her, she's my partner."_**

**_And with those final words, Oshawott broke off the mental connection between N and her and ran towards White, who quickly picked her up in her arms._**

**_Out of A Pokémons Mind_**

"Never get out of my sight again guys," White mumbled quietly to both Pidove and Oshawott. Pidove responded with a quick roll of her eyes while Oshawott nodded obediently and stuck out her small pink tongue at Zorua who was currently glaring at her.

N bit off a piece of his waffle cone and glanced at Whites' hands for a minute before a startled look came onto his face. "Did you drop your ice-cream?"

"Yeah when you dragged me over here," White said nonchalantly since she was always told by her mother before she died that there was no use crying over spilt milk. "It's no problem though."

"I'm really sorry about that," N said as looked down to his feet. "Um…here, have mine!" N stepped a tad bit closer to White and pushed his slightly deformed ice-cream cone into Whites' free hand.

White stepped back a bit and offered a small smile. "It's alright; I sometimes start coughing after I eat ice-cream so it's better this way."

Without knowing better, White sat back down on the built in bench of the water fountain and placed Oshawott down next to her gently. N sat down next to White also and took a big lick out of his cone before placing the whole thing in his mouth and chomping it up. After N had finished, he let out a chilled sigh and turned to White, his bangs swished in the process. "Do you…enjoy caring for Pokémon?"

"I don't think I'm the right person to take care of Pokémon…"

N raised a confused eyebrow. This might have been easier than he had thought. "Then why do you keep your Pokémon? Why don't you let them go free, so they can be _happy_?"

White felt a sudden pain in her heart as she gazed over to N, her eyes were wide and the after lashes of his words were evident in her big cerulean eyes. "They aren't happy…with me?"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that, truly I didn't."

"You can talk to Pokémon; I've seen you on TV, have you talked to my Pokémon?" White nibbled her lip. "What have they said about me?"

"Only good things," N said, offering White another of his calming smiles.

White glanced to Pidove on her shoulder and questioned her with her eyes. Pidove glanced back at her and chirped before turning her head in the other direction. Glancing down at Oshawott, White sighed and placed her head in her hands. "Dear god…"

Feeling the awkwardness of the situation and the sudden tension he had added to it, N raised his voice a bit more to gain Whites' attention. "Can you finish telling me the 'significance' of a…girlfriend?"

Not being one to like to revel in her depression for a long time, White raised her head from her small hands and gave N an amused smile, which caused him to smile back at her in return. "Well…a girlfriend is someone you can tell everything to, you're not afraid to lay down your feelings in front of her. A girlfriend is someone you love to hug and hold hands with…and there is a special place in your heart that can't be filled unless you have that certain someone in your life."

"I think I get the gist of it," N mulled out slowly while shaking his choppy bangs out of his eyes.

"So the girl from before was your girlfriend right?"

"Not in the least," N said quickly with a small laugh. "You can say that…she and I are acquaintances, more like business partners, we both aim for the same thing."

White could feel her interest rise as she leaned in a bit to hear him better. "May I ask what that goal is?"

N locked eyes with her and gave her a slightly forced smile, which turned out to look more like a smirk. "What I aim for is ultimate perfection in the—"

Before N could finish about 5 people ran up to the green haired male. White only recognized the fuming female from before, but she was surrounded by 4 other weirdly dressed people. They all began talking in a flurry as their gazes shifted between N and White, almost as if they were all synchronized.

"Please, you mustn't be out without an escort."

"You are very important to our world, nothing must happen to you!"

"Oh never get out of our sight again, please, he'll surely have our heads!"

"What are you doing with this tramp…?"

"At least you're alright."

"I'm fine," N said smoothly as he stood up and gave White an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry but I must go now, I have some business to attend to…I hope I may get to see you again."

"It's okay, and I liked our…er, talk. And I'm sure we'll see each other soon." The truth of Whites' words seemed to send a chill down Whites' spine as she leaned over and picked up Oshawott securely in her arms.

She didn't trust these weirdly dressed people, hell she didn't really trust anybody.

Standing up from her seat, White shifted her purse on her shoulder and glanced up at N. He held out a hand in her direction, and she instantly reached out and shook it. His hand was warm, and it sent small tingles into her skin since White constantly felt cold. They both pulled their hands apart and smiled at each other.

"Um sorry about how I acted today N…"

"I didn't see anything wrong with your character," N responded as he adjusted Zorua on his shoulder and took a step forward to the group. "Farewell White, goodbye Pidove, Oshawott."

Oshawott shook a small paw at N and Zorua, and to her surprise Zorua lifted one of his paws in farewell. Pidove was silent, she didn't move for any reason except to rearrange her head to fit back underneath her feathers.

"Ah, bye N," White said softly, not feeling well enough to put in the extra effort for him to actually hear her. She watched for a moment as N and the peculiar group walked away.

"Hey you, I need to have a word with you!" A voice boomed out from next to White, just as she was about to turn around and go back to the Pokémon center.

White turned her head quickly, already sensing some tension rise at just the sound of the attitude in the woman's voice.

"May I help you?"

"What has lord N said to you?"

"Lord? Well he hasn't said anything; well not anything I thought was important."

The woman talking to her was the ginger haired female from before, the one that N had seemed to avoid on purpose, and for some uncanny reason, White took an immediate disliking to the taller woman.

The carrot topped female growled lowly and shoved a hand into her pocket abruptly, causing White to flinch backwards at the sudden movement. The woman smirked and withdrew a smudged black Pokéball. Whites' eyes widened at the scene. This intimidating, older, and taller female had an ominous looking Pokéball, and when a trainer brought out a Pokéball, that's when a battle was about to be put into motion.

The petite brunette looked around the plaza, for a sign of anybody that could perhaps calm down this larger woman, but it seemed as if the whole area had been cleared, even the older man and his portable ice-cream stand was nowhere to be seen.

"Everything my Lord says is important, and to make sure you don't forget, I'm going to teach you in a way you'll never forget!"

White froze in her spot as soon as the older woman threw the dark capsule into the air and a flash of light came out, in a minute a flying sort of bat Pokémon came out. Pidoves' head snapped out of her feathers as she sensed Whites' distress and fear. Glancing ahead at the scene Pidove noticed a Woobat starting to glide around the air, swiping its' paper thin wings through the air sharply in a pre-battle warm up. Pidoves' eyes hardened on the Pokémon as it swooped off of Whites' shoulder and maneuvered through the air in fast sprints, as it tried to fake the Woobat out by appearing in its' face then appearing a good distance away before it decided to attack.

"No, Pidove!" White cried out suddenly, as she reached her hand out, as if just that simple movement was going to bring back her prideful Pokémon. "Black, Black!"

The only person White knew that could probably save her at the moment was her little brother; she was too scared, too immobilized by fear to do anything. Tears started to cascade down Whites' face as she watched Woobat, _nearly _slam into Pidove, who just barely managed to dodge the very strong attack. Pidove couldn't fight by herself, so she looked down constantly at White for instruction, though she got none. She couldn't see the battle from a distance, she was _in _it. "Pidove, Pidove!"

And in a flash, White saw something she never thought she would see.

Zorua, sprinting at an incredibly fast speed, his short legs seemed to gather much distance as he reached the pinnacle of his sprint. Leaping high up into the air, Zorua seemed to glide over to the humongous Woobat. The dark fox came within breathing distance of the bat Pokémon before he disappeared and reappeared behind Woobat and threw a sucker punch at the pressure point of the bat. "Zorrruuu!"

"Osha," Oshawott cried in surprise from her place in Whites' arms.

And White caught a glimpse of long tea green hair run in her direction.

* * *

><p><strong>OMG Hope you all liked it...god I had fun :) The next chapter will be up soon :D<strong>

**This story is to get you immersed, y'know? So you all build up to love N and White, and that they grow to love eachother ;)**

**I'm eating...some ice-cream cookie sandwich, wheel...mutant...thing XD Idk but yeah I dig Ice-cream and I LOVE chocolatechipcookiedough ice-cream XDDD fuggin hyper**

**Please leave a nice little review for me :)**

**~Shadow-chan**

_**P.S. IF YOU ALL COULD VOTE ON THE POLE ON MY PAGE THAT WOULD ADD TO FASTER UPDATES! FOR SCHOOL I NEED TO INTERVIEW PEOPLE I DON'T REALLY KNOW SO PLEASE VOTE ON THE POLE SO I CAN FINISH MY HOMEWORK AND GET TO WORK ON THE FUTURE CHAPTERS INSTEAD OF ASKING RUDE PEOPLE ON THE STREETS! THANK YOU :D**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, well, well, guess who just came back from procrastinating? Yup this sucker did. =_= Sorry guys, time flew and I had to do school and Orchestra and...GAH! Buzy buzy life :))**

**I'm really sorry guys, like, it's not even funny! :C Well I plan on updating every 2 weeks, how's that? And If I don't feel free to spam this story with reviews or Pm me (I'll know either way) And tell me. "GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND UPDATE!" **

**This will never happen again if one kind readers constantly remind and nag me to. :3**

**Enjoy ladies and gents~**

**Dedicated to:SilverxBird**

**Disclaimer:Yeah I own pokemon, GREAT LOGIC, COPYRIGHT YOU FAG!**

**Song of the day: Find you love:James Massone or Drake**

* * *

><p>Much to Whites' utter astonishment, she watched as Pidove executed a quick U-turn and fly back towards Zorua. Once a few feet away, Pidove charged forward and head-butted Zorua, causing him to fly backwards rapidly and hit the ground with a surprised grunt. White gaped in shock at Pidoves' sudden forbidding movement, but before White could open her mouth to yell out in shock, Pidove flicked her head towards White and with a sharp glare, cawed loudly.<p>

"Pidove, Pi-Pi-Pidove!"

White gulped and clenched her fists shut. Turning her head down to her feet, White only raised her eyes to look at N and Zorua. N was staring at White intently as Zorua hopped onto Ns' shoulder with an unpleased scowl.

"My Lord," The carrot-haired female gasped out. "My lord, I was just—"

"I've not given you orders for anything, Rebecca," N mulled out slowly as he sauntered over toward a teary-eyed White. "Your punishment will be given to you at a later time, Rebecca."

The fiery-haired grunt cursed silently to herself and recalled her Pokémon. Once putting the Pokéball back into her belt snatch, she curtsied deeply in N's direction and practically sprinted away to where the rest of the group had headed.

"Are you alright, White?"

"Lord…what the hell was that all about?" White grumbled whilst wiping away a few leftover tears from her dried cheeks. When White didn't get an answer immediately she groaned loudly and raised her head all the way up so she could see his face, and the fact that he was way taller than her didn't make her feel any better.

N placed his hands on Whites' small shoulders and bent his knees a bit so he wasn't looming so much over her. "I asked you a question first White, didn't we go over this concept before?"

White puffed out her cheeks and blushed a bit. The fact that N was bending his knees and talking to her like she was a child was awfully embarrassing, and White wanted nothing more than to just sprint away and never see him again.

The brunette nodded rapidly and shrugged her shoulder up and down quickly to move his hands off her shoulders. "Yeah I'm fine; don't talk to me like that ever again!"

"Talk to you in what way?"

"Like I'm a child!"

N's sculptured lips formed into a perfect 'O' and he stood back up straight. "Well it's only proper manners to answer somebody else's question first before you ask them to answer your own."

"Does it look like I care about manners right now?"

N shoved his hands into his pockets and chuckled. With a tip of his hat, N seemed to have a knowing gleam in his eyes. "The name Lord is just out of politeness. Yes you do seem like someone to care about manners. And you plan on seeing me again?"

"Seeing you again? No, I don't plan on it…where did you get that assumption?"

"You said not to call you that '_ever again' _so that means you plan on talking to me more," N said. "I'd like to have more conversations with you and your Pokémon. You're very interesting."

White huffed and nodded. "I'm going to take Pidove to the Pokémon center…thank you for everything N. _If _we meet again…let's talk some more."

Pidove dove over to where White was when she heard her name being said. Expertly, Pidove spread her wings so the wind caught on the flexible part of her wing to parachute her down gently onto Whites' shoulder, as to not dig her claws in to Whites' soft skin. White welcomed Pidove with a small, apologetic smile.

N shifted his weight to his left leg before holding out his hand toward White in a motion to shake. White who _was _taught manners when she was younger took his hand in hers and gave it a light shake.

"Er, have a nice day, N."

White withdrew her hand quickly and smiled up at N. In a small motion, White wiped the remaining teardrops from her cheeks and took a step back. "Thank you for the Xtransceiver by the way; N…I owe you a solid."

"What's a solid?"

* * *

><p>"Nurse Joy, I would like Pidove to get a quick check up…we got into a little squabble with another, er, trainer outside and I would like it if you could see if Pidove sustained any damage, please."<p>

White nudged Pidoves chest with her arm, which automatically made Pidove hope down onto the upper wrist region of Whites' arm. Pidove squeezed White's arm a bit so her talons dug into White's skin, and within a quick second, Pidove snapped her head around to glare at White before swooping over to Nurse Joys' waiting arms.

"Perfectly all right White, we'll make sure Pidove is alright and healthy. We'll give her back to you in a matter of minutes."

The petite brunette sighed and nodded gratefully. White waved to Pidove apologetically, while mouthing a silent "sorry". When the automatic doors behind Nurse Joys' desk opened, the pink haired nurse rose silently from her chair with Pidove at her shoulder. White watched quietly as Nurse Joy retreated into the clinic behind her desk. All White could see from her position was a long white, plain, hall that stretched out for what seemed miles. Large windowless doors littered the passageway, causing White to feel a chill across her neck at the thought that she might have been locked up in one of those rooms if she hadn't went on this journey. Insanity and paranoia grew over time, in that sense.

"I suppose it is a good thing that I'm out on this journey," White said to herself as she took the beeper off the counter and retreated back to her room.

* * *

><p>"How did that little brain-washing session go?"<p>

"Black, don't you start with me!"

Black chuckled lowly and lay back down onto his messy bed. Drilbur was restlessly sleeping, which resulted in his small leg to twitch periodically and kick Black in his ribs. Black would just sigh with each kick and try to go back to sleep. The brown eyed male was too tired to do anything about his abusive sleeping Pokémon. With a quick turn on his side, Black pulled the covers over Drilbur and himself.

Whites' eyebrow twitched at the lazy couple. "It's eleven in the morning, get up."

Black groaned loudly in protest.

"Bianca and Cheren might already be waiting for us in Striaton City."

The brown haired male instantly slumped out of bed once he heard Bianca's name. Black shivered involuntarily as he cranked his head over in White's direction. "Bianca?"

White smirked and nodded as she walked over to Black who was currently shivering at the foot of his unmade bed. With a swift kick, White sent him flying to the other side of the room where Oshawott was waiting with her scallop in hand to cheer at the expert kick. The aquamarine-eyed female quickly made the bed whilst moving Drilbur carefully to another area.

Black ran over to Drilbur and scooped him up. Grabbing a change of clothes and his cap, Black ran to the bathroom to shower.

Once the bed was made, White sighed and plopped down on it. Oshawott hopped up onto the bed next to White. "Osha?"

"Today's going to pretty hectic, I can tell."

Oshawott nodded in agreement and placed her scallop back onto her stomach for safe keeping.

Running one of her free hands through her long ponytail, White laughed to herself. "I hope Cheren and Bianca are ok with whatever business they were called to attend to. Oh what am I saying, they'll be ok, and their Pokémon are strong! There is nothing to worry about, they're good trainers…"

The small white and baby blue otter Pokémon cooed in agreement and scratched one of her ears.

"I'm going to go see if Pidove is alright. You wait here Oshawott with Black and Drilbur. I'll be right back; maybe you could start getting all our stuff into that new backpack Black bought last night."

Oshawott saluted White and hopped down from the bed. With quick skips Oshawott dragged over the heavy backpack as if was nothing and started at almost lightning speed to put all the supplies that Black had bought into the pack. White watched with wide eyes for a moment before laughing loudly and exiting out of the room in her pursuit toward the Pokémon Center front clinic.

Once White had neared Nurse Joy's desk, the brunette tapped lightly on the small attention bell that the pink haired Nurse had out for the clients in case they needed something when she wasn't around. The automatic doors behind the Nurses' desk opened instantly and a large plump Chansey waddled out with and irritated look on her face. "Chansey?"

White felt her face drop at the sight of the intimidating Pokémon, "Is Pidove going to be alright?"

Chansey's face relaxed at the calming tone that Whites' voice held. With a few Pokégrunts, Chansey jogged back through the automatic doors. A few more minutes passed until Nurse Joy came back through the sliding doors with Pidove at her shoulder. Once Pidove saw White, she gave a small twitter of relief and swooped over to land on the blue-eyed female's shoulder. White felt a few tears of relief build up in her eyes, and she prayed silently to herself that she would never have to come back to another Pokémon Center again to get her Pokémon healed.

"Pidove is fully healed; well actually, there was nothing wrong with her in the first place! We just made sure that none of her battle points were lowered and that she can use all of her moves successfully. She is a perfect _specimen _of a Pokémon."

White felt a shiver run across her neck at the way Nurse Joy had said the word specimen. Desperately trying to get that uncomfortable feeling off of her chest, White reached into her purse to retrieve her wallet. The pink-haired Lolita seemed to have caught on and shook her hand out wildly in front of her in order to get White to stop her actions.

"We don't charge money at Pokémon Centers…don't you remember? It wasn't that long ago that you went on your last journey…"

White gasped and her eyes widened. Whether the Nurse knew what she had said meant or not, White still felt a sharp whip at her heart the cold words. "You still remember me from all those years ago?"

"Not that hard to, I mean with what happened to you and all."

Nurse Joy had opened her mouth once more to continue when White cut her off quickly. "Have a _splendid _day Nurse Joy. I hope I may never have to come back here to get my Pokémon healed."

* * *

><p>"Did she really say something like that?"<p>

"Yeah, apparently the news of what happened all those years ago is still going around."

Black frowned and moved to pick up the neatly packed backpack that was lying on the floor against the foot of the bed. Drilbur squealed in delight and hopped up on top of the backpack just as Black managed to get the heavy load successfully onto his shoulders. With Drilburs' unnecessary weight also added to pack, Black fell backwards straight onto his butt. "Holy crap Drilbur, I can't do anything if you don't get off my backpack!"

Drilbur groaned lazily and managed to crawl onto Blacks' head. "Dril~"

"You find loopholes easily. Almost better than a lawyer can," Black chuckled out whilst managing to stand back up successfully. "We better get going White, you know what Bianca did to me last time we were late…"

"Yes I do remember, and that was hilarious! If they are in Striaton City and we're late, I'm not saving your butt this time."

"White," Black whined. "What type of big sister doesn't stand up for her _little _brother?"

"I'm unique; you don't have to tell me."

Black inhaled deeply and sighed. "It feels amazing to be out here…don't you agree White?"

White glanced over at Black and smiled with a small nod. As they walked through the route, they were met with _very _tall grass. So tall, that it went up to White's shoulders, and to Black's upper arm. The chestnut-eyed male grinned in delight and told Drilbur to scout out the area ahead of them, and if he saw anything, to give a call. White tightened her arms around Oshawott and started to shiver lightly. The temperature was decreasing little by little, and White could feel her happiness increase with each cut the cold wind blew onto her body.

"Hey, you're shivering White," Black mumbled as he took off the heavy pack and unzipped it quickly. Black withdrew a small purple hoodie and gave it to White. "At least you're wearing jeans today. We'll get to Striaton City soon, and once we hit the Pokémon Center, I'll whip up some of my famous chicken noodle soup." (In a can)

"Can't wait, my hands are freezing," White said softly as she slid on the hoodie. After adjusting the hoodie so that if fit her snugly, White reached out and took Black's big hand in hers. "Just like old times, right Black?"

The brown honey-eyed male cocked an eyebrow. "My hand's not too warm either."

"Meanie."

Black groaned and slid on the heavy backpack again. Black snatched her hand in his and squeezed it lightly to show that he didn't really think it was a nuisance to hold her hand.

Pidove chirped in a frozen manner and hopped into the hanging hoodie part of Whites' sweater. White gurgled a bit at the sudden choking and tight feeling in the front of her neck. Black glanced at Whites' face and burst out laughing.

White huffed and snatched her hand out his. "I really think now, that if I was actually choking, you'd be laughing."

Black sniggered and took her hand in his again. "I'd be too scared to laugh, White. You're my sister, I don't want anything to happen to you…well anything to happen to you, which would kill you."

"Nice save," White chortled out. She glanced out to where Drilbur was standing look-out. "Drilbur really obeys you well, huh Black?"

Black shifted his gaze over to the scouting Drilbur and nodded. "We're close…I never thought we would bond so quickly."

"I never thought Oshawott and I would get so close either," White said, an itch started to grow on her cheek.

"Ah, we better pick up the pace; I'd rather find another trainer before another trainer finds me."

White felt a goofy smile fill her face. "You always hated surprises."

The honey-eyed male raised an elegant eyebrow ever so slightly. "Can you blame me?"

With a quick blink of her big aquamarine eyes, White shrugged her shoulders. After a while, they reached an enormous patch of grass which reached all the way to the tip of White's head, the only visible part being her pink and white cap. Black took his hand quickly out of White's and called out for Drilbur. The small mole Pokémon sprinted back at the sound of his master's call, his drill like claws extended in preparation for a battle.

Black formed a dedicated fist with his left hand and pointed to the tall grass ahead of them. "Okay Drilbur, I'm just positive that some trainers are waiting for us the minute we head into that tall patch of weeds. Let's be ready Drilbur, I'm sure we can do this."

White looked over to see Drilbur cheering along with every word Black said, his drill shaped claws _whirring_ in a fast motion. The brunette gulped tensely. As soon as Drilbur became more experienced, he would be lethal. With Black as his trainer, White didn't think it would take too long.

"Dril, Dril, DRILBUR!"

Before Black could start running off, White grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him back to where she was standing. With an intimidating growl from White, Black remained by her side at a forced pace. "Geez White, I hate when we have to walk so slow…"

"Would you rather see Bianca faster?"

"I'm good," Black said quickly. "I just wanted to challenge the Gym in Striaton City before it closed for the day."

The ocean-eyed female gasped and started to jump for joy. "You mean…Cilan, Chili, and Cress's Gym right?"

Black huffed and pressed his eyebrows together (His thinking face). "Yeah, I guess it is. I don't know the Gym Leaders names so well."

"I challenged that Gym before Black," White said, her voice slightly boasting. "I beat it…wasn't easy though."

Black stopped in place and shifted the backpack on his shoulders. His face lit up and he flashed a goofy but interested smile. "Can you tell me…what moves they use?"

"Black that's cheating, a real Pokémon trainer never looks at things in advance. It sounds stupid, I know, but it's true. Trust me on this one."

With an understanding nod, Black started walking again in the direction they were headed. White jogged lightly to catch up with her younger brother, her hand reaching out to grapple his elbow. Black sighed and allowed White to stuff her hand into the crook of his elbow. After a moment a rustle in the bushes alerted Black and Drilbur. The chocolate eyed boy pushed White lightly to the side behind him.

Oshawott squirmed in White's arms and let out a loose whimper of unrest. "Oshawott, Osh, Osh, wott!"

White tightened her arms around Oshawott and murmured into the pure white patch of fur atop her head. Pidove—who was currently residing on White's shoulders—let out a caw of warning, to whatever was waiting for them in the bushes.

A small boy came bundling out of the bushes. He seemed a few years younger than Black, due to the wideness of his big onyx eyes. He bore a big, loose black jersey that reached to below his thighs, with matching shorts that went down to his ankles. Loose flat sandals barely clung to his feet with thin straps, but an unbothered—joyful—grin covered his face.

"Hey you," the young boy said in a raspy voice. "This may seem sudden…oh well, let's have a Pokémon battle! Er, please…sir?"

Black felt a loose shiver of excitement run up his spine and spread through his ribs. "I'm all for it! But don't start crying if I beat you, swear?"

With a determined gleam in his eyes, the smaller boy nodded in agreement. "Take your own advice first!"

"I'm not a little kid, I don't cry anymore," Black said. He motioned Drilbur forward with a flick of his index finger and a kind smile. "Let's go Drilbur."

"Alright," The carrot headed child muttered. "Let's give it our all Patrat." A small, red-eyed meerkat shaped Pokémon emerged from behind the boy. A small black band covered his eyes like a burglars mask. It stood on its hind legs and quivered lightly with each shift its eyes made.

"Can you referee this one White?" Black said; his eyes focused on the twitching Patrat and Drilbur.

With a feigned sigh, White stalked over to a clear patch of ground and nodded in Black's direction. The young boy and Black followed to where White was standing and stood a wide distance away from one another. Naturally, Drilbur and Patrat stepped closer to another, yet in a perimeter close to their trainers.

"I'll go first," the young male proclaimed. "Patrat, use tackle!"

Using its left hind foot to push off the ground, the Patrat lunged at Drilbur. Without any effort, Drilbur dodged easily.

"Nice move Drilbur, now use scratch, full force!"

The mole Pokémon turned on his heel and drew out his claws. Just as the Patrat was recovering from the missed attack, Drilbur slashed him across the back, sending him skidding backwards toward his young trainer.

"Ah, Patrat, c'mon get up please! We haven't lost yet, let's not start now," The young male said, his hands in fists in front of him. "Let's use leer now Patrat, freak em out!"

The Patrat nodded in confirmation and stood back up on its hind legs. Making sure they had eye-contact, Patrat started to glare into Drilbur. "Pat…"

"Don't be scared Drilbur," Black said quietly, noticing that Drilbur had faltered a bit and had unconsciously took a step back in Black's direction. "We can easily finish this, use scratch one more time."

Drilbur shook out of the intimidating trance and raced forward to Patrat who was trying to focus back in on the battle. Extending his claws even more, Drilbur swiped at the Patrat's knees. With a strangled cry, the Patrat fell to the ground with its eyes closed and a delirious smile on its face.

"My little brother wins," White proclaimed. With a turn of her head, White addressed the younger boy who was recalling his fallen partner back into its Pokéball. "You did a great job."

"Thanks," the boy mumbled, stuffing the minimized ball into one of his wide pockets. Looking towards Black, the boy said—quite loudly—with a determined look. "I'll try harder, and then Patrat and I are going to challenge the Pokémon league."

Black grinned goofily and recalled Drilbur to his side before giving the small boy a peace sign. "Me too, maybe we'll see each other again and we can battle again."

With a surprised squeal, the boy nervously shook his head back and forth and placed his hands before him in a 'stop' motion. "Er, let's just wait until I become stronger. I'm not going to put Patrat through that again."

With a quiet nod, White went back to Black's side and adjusted Oshawott in her arms. Pidove chirped quietly into Whites' ear, as if to share all the information she gathered from watching the battle. "Ok, we better get going then Black. It was nice to meet you also, you battle very well."

"Ah, rude as always," Black snorted out with an obnoxious smile. "See ya then."

Black and White continued on their way, and to their delight, every second was filled with pleasant conversation. Only two more trainers stood in their way after that, both of them having a Purrloin and Lillipup. Black defeated them easily, but Drilbur was a bit fatigued after the last battle.

"Drilbur," the small Pokémon said defiantly all of a sudden. He turned around sternly and put his claws on his hips. "Dril-Dril."

The maple-eyed male caught on to the hint and scooped up Drilbur, placing him on his head. With a tired sigh, Drilbur fell asleep on Blacks' cap. After a moment of walking, White started to sneeze every few seconds.

"Ah geez White, you better not be getting sick on me," Black growled while looking over at the brunette warily. "We'll make sure to stop at the Pokémon Center in Striaton City then."

White mumbled apologetically to Pidove on her shoulder for sneezing so much. "Black, please be a bit more understanding of your dear older sister okay?"

The moon had decided to come out to play earlier than anticipated so the sky was pitch black with the exception of the bright light that radiated down from the moon. The wind blew a bit more ferociously, causing the misty clouds to slide over the moon quickly.

"Excuse me, you there, I must ask you something very serious," an elderly woman called out, emerging from the thick grass to rest in front of them. "I am Cécile. You may call me Cici."

"Hello," White managed to say through a fit of sneezes. "My name is White, and these are my…(sneeze)…Pokémon, Oshawott, and Pidove."

Oshawott and Pidove saluted respectfully before returning to their conversation.

"My name is Black," Black stated, his eyes twinkling in excitement over his first introduction. "This is my Pokémon, Drilbur."

The elderly woman clapped her hands together and winked at Black. "A handsome young lad at that too, and may I add that my granddaughter is single?"

"Er, well," Black retreated behind White. An old habit he used to do a lot when he was a child. "I'm more focused on Pokémon right at the moment…"

"My granddaughter is out of your league anyway," The old woman snapped, her white hair suddenly frizzing up even more. Black flinched even more and tugged onto the back of White's sweater as if that would make the elderly woman stop scowling at him. After a few more seconds filled with glares and whimpers and White's stifled giggles, the dark skinned woman turned to White. "I'll handle my business with you since you seem to be the mature one of this two-manned squad."

White froze and tried to clear her throat in a mature way, which earned her a snide chuckle from Black. "Anything you want ma'am."

"Well, I can tell my time is coming to an end soon, and my granddaughter has given me the most absolutely precious Pokémon," The elderly woman sighed and small tear fell from her emotionless eyes. "I can't possibly take care of them. Would you and your brother take them for me? Give them all the possible love you can muster?"

Black stepped out from behind White with a serious look on his face. With his cheek bones high and his forehead furrowed, he nodded solemnly. "We'd be happy too."

"Black." White said sharply, giving her brother a warning look. The ocean-eyed female wished desperately that she wouldn't have to hold Pokémon in her custody, they were innocent. They didn't deserve a miserable trainer like her. They needed someone like Black, someone who could take charge and lead their team fairly with a lot of love, someone who put fear to the side and answered with guts.

With a tired sigh, Black placed his hands on his hips and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "C'mon White."

"Of course," The lady interjected. "I can't give these Pokémon to any ol' person. I would like to test the both of you, in a battle. I would like to see how well you interact with your Pokémon during a moment of stress."

White felt her knees tremble and she shuffled back a bit. In a low voice, White said mostly to herself. "I can't do this."

"Pidove," The athletic Pokémon on Whites' shoulder cawed out. White gulped and looked at Pidove, already feeling her eyes start to itch with tears that were forming at the back of her eyes. Pidove sprang off of Whites' shoulder and flapped in a hovering motion in front of White. The gold-eyed bird began to chirp furiously at White as if scolding her for being so weak minded. A few loose tears trickled down White's cheeks as she listened to the way her Pokémon's pitch changed with each emotion she felt. Oshawott squirmed uncomfortably in Whites' arms but every now and then, the small otter Pokémon would cry out in agreement to what Pidove was saying. After a moment of silence, White nodded and wiped away any stray tears that had managed to defy the rapid blinking of her eyes. "Pi-Pi-Dove-Dove~"

"Alright then Pidove," White muttered while setting Oshawott down onto the grass next to her. "Let's try this…just to see."

Pidove cried out in joy and swooped around White's head in approval of her trainer's decision.

The elderly woman smiled sadly and motioned White and Black over to a clear patch of earth that was perfect for a Pokémon battle. The earth was soft and crumbly beneath their shoes but it was unfertile. The wide patch of earth was obviously used for battling often since shoe marks were evident in the soil. "Are you going first Black?"

His sister's crying had left Black feeling weakened for a moment so he answered in a soft tone and embraced White in a tight hug before moving to his place on the side of the fighting area. The elderly woman moved to her place with an apologetic smile in White's direction. White just smiled back sadly and sat down on the dirt, not caring if her jeans got dirty.

"Make sure to watch this battle Pidove, Oshawott," White said, her voice a bit muffled due to her earlier breakdown. "Pidove…would you like to fight this one?"

Pidove chirped in excitement and nodded her head up and down quickly, her feathers ruffling up in the process. "Pi~"

"Ah, let's just hope this goes according to plan then," White said, feeling her stomach do the most painful of knots in her stomach. "Arceus…watch down on this battle."

A cackle from the elderly woman drew White's thoughts back to the battle. "Okay, I'm going to throw out my old friend Cinccino; we'll go easy on you this time boy."

With a quick toss of an ancient looking Pokéball, a small Pokémon with white fringe wrapped around its gray fluffy body like a bow popped out with a ray of light enveloping it.

Gently, Black awoke Drilbur from atop his head and set him down gently onto the ground in front of him. "I know you're tired Drilbur, and I'm really sorry, but do you think you have it in you to battle a bit more?"

Immediately the pink-nosed mole Pokémon was up and alert; all signs of fatigue gone from his eyes. "Drilbur-Dril-Ur-Ur-DRILBUR!"

"Alright," Black exclaimed. "Let's do our best."

"Cinccino, use double slap, and hit him hard!"

"Dodge it," Black yelled, feeling the blood course through his veins in excitement. In a battle, all Black felt he could really do was yell, and depend on his Pokémon to follow through, and that excited him. "Now use scratch; let's stack up some combos while you're at it!"

Drilbur charged forward, his claws extending with each step in a glowing bright light. Drilbur managed to scratch the offending Pokémon across the face before the elderly woman order Cinccino to use double slap again, which knocked Drilbur all the way back over to Black.

"Ah, Drilbur are you okay?" Black was about to recall his Pokémon until Drilbur managed to stand back up with a strangled grunt. "Okay then, Drilbur let's give this one more shot!"

In a sudden motion, Drilbur's claws started to glow a bright florescent like light. With a cry of determination, Drilbur brought his long claws above his head. The dirt around Drilbur began to rise also with the motion and with another cry of success, the mole Pokémon sent all the dirt into the face of the offending Pokémon. Cinccino immediately started to tear up in order to rid her eyes of the foul dirt.

"Alright, I think that was a new move! Great timing, now put all your strength into this scratch!"

Drilbur nodded and sprang off the ground, his claws extending once more in the process. What Drilbur lacked in size, he made up for in speed. Once Cinccino rid herself of all the mud, an oncoming claw smacked her away, back towards her elderly trainer. Cinccino coughed in anger and was about to unleash a **powerful **attack until her trainer's voice cut through her thoughts.

"That's enough Cinccino, rest for a second please."

"Cin," the Pokémon answered. She skipped over to her trainer and sat down with a huff. It was obvious the battle wasn't a concern for Cinccino or her trainer. The Pokémon wasn't even panting.

"Stay here Cinccino and rest for a minute; we have another friendly fight to participate in," The elderly woman said with a pleased grin, a giddy giggle only barely hidden by her words. With a purposeful stride, the green robed woman made her way over to Black who was currently praising his Drilbur, who in return smiled back at him. "You fought well boy, and your faith in your Pokémon was expected, from the beginning."

Black stood up and smiled at the elderly woman. She was about White's size so he had to smile in the direction of the ground. "Thank you, you would have beaten me easily if you haven't taken it easy on me."

"Hah, that wasn't even my easy mode, boy," She said this with a wink. Then back to all seriousness, the woman drew out a thumb-printed, Golden-tinted Pokéball from the depths of her robe. Black gulped nervously and set aside his worries, his only mind-set being on the elderly lady and the Pokémon capturing device in her ragged hand. With a knowing nod of her head, Black held out his hand hesitantly. His palm facing upwards and his fingers curled upward in a cupping motion. With a gentle swipe, the woman set the ball quickly down in his hand, as if she was afraid that if she took any longer, she wouldn't be able to separate herself from her unknown Pokémon. "You have proven to me many things…and I love them all, you have my consent to marry my granddaughter!"

Black sweat dropped and nodded his head up and down in a robotic fashion.

"I'm just kidding boy," the elderly woman said with a snort, her nostrils flaring widely in the process. With narrowed eyes and a newly found seriousness, she continued on. "I expect great things from you, take care of this Pokémon, and he will take care of you."

With a relieved chuckle, Black shut his eyes tight and kissed the Pokéball squarely on the button. With a double press of the switch, the ball minimized and he stuffed it into his pocket. With a sigh of exhaustion, Black rolled his eyes over to White who gave him a beaming, approving smile. She was genuinely happy for her brother, and whatever brought him happiness doubled back to her. The elderly woman cleared her throat and turned to White. Without a second chance to think, Black side-stepped to block the woman's view of White, as if to give White a few more minutes to mentally prepare herself. "I'm sorry if this seems…a bit miscellaneous, but if you are giving away these two Pokémon, what about you're Cinccino?"

"Cinccino and I have a long-term partner contract; we can't possibly break it now. And these Pokémon are young, and have hip in their steps, they'll be endlessly bored with an old girl like me. We wouldn't have that much time together anyway, who would care for them? My Granddaughter and Grandson couldn't possibly…they are far too busy."

Black gulped and nodded with a knowing smile. "Thank you so much for this…you gave me so much in a matter of minutes."

With an unexpected hug from Black, the elderly woman turned with a surprised blink to White who had already risen from the ground. "Are you ready? It will be real quick, I promise. I won't deal serious harm onto your Pokémon. I trust my Cinccino in this matter; I just want to see if you trust yours."

With a feigned, determined nod, White walked forward nervously. For a moment, White felt her knees knobble together. A rush of air rushed into her lungs, but just as quickly, it ran back out. Pidove glided over quickly to her place on the battlefield. She chirped nervously as if to hurry White forward. The elderly woman was already in her place, her only focus being on her Cinccino, who purred in content at her trainers touch. White jogged the last bit and turned to face to women. Her blue eyes flickered in doubt at the strong Pokémon who seemed so gentle. "Pidove are you ready?" Pidove chirped in response and made a few figure eights in the air above. White directed her gaze toward the dark-skinned woman. "I'm ready."

"Cinccino, use Slam!"

"Pidove dodge it and use Gust." White set her right foot forward and pointed her index finger at the moving Cinccino.

"Don't let her get away with that!" The determined woman cried out. "Jump in order to hit it. Focus hard darling!"

White bit the inside of her cheek and thought quickly over her next move. "Fly higher in order to dodge than use Growl when Cinccino is heading down."

Pidove luckily managed to dodge the offending attack. The cuddly Pokémon's head barely brushed against the soft plumage of Pidove's chest—leaving Pidove quite breathless from the lucky dodge. Cinccino tilted her body backward with her plush hind paws pointed downwards in an elegant ballet movement—a protocol action if you wanted to land safely without breaking a body part. Pidove tucked her wings and swooped down besides Cinccino, just as the cuddly Pokémon was about to hit the ground. Pidove tilted her black tongue against the roof of mouth and trilled it, causing an endearing yet intimidating to erupt from the back of her throat. Cinccino closed her eyes a bit, causing her front paws to sag down a bit as she hit the ground with a thud.

"Nice job Pidove!" White called out, feeling a surge of happiness run through her heart and swarm her body. Placing one of her hands on her hip, White sighed. Not in triumph, but to steady the adrenaline that was running through her body. "Now use Gust, quickly, while we have the time. Swoop around Cinccino to gather the necessary wind." The blue eyed maiden spoke from experience at that moment. Millions of battles from her past journey accumulated in her head, filling her with unspoken knowledge.

Black watched with widened eyes as he fingered the Pokéball in his hand, only to place it in a secure padded compartment in his backpack a moment later.

He always admired his sister, even though she cried more often than she used to. As ironic as it was, White never used to cry. At all. Once when he was young, he remembered playing at the kitchen table with a multitude of his old Pokémon action figures. His sister came barging through the front door with her left elbow held in her right hand. Her face was twisted up; her eyes slightly narrowed, and her cheek was visibly bitten from the inside. White smiled at him when he looked up from his toys, he was about to embrace his sister in a tight hug until she walked quickly past him; over to their mother. She purposefully whispered silently into her mother's ear while she was stirring their stew. It turned out White had broken her arm when Bianca and Cheren where roughhousing and she had been caught in the middle. They –along with White's other playmates—expressed their apologies and brought her gifts and sweets all the way to the hospital where she would be residing for a week. Black held a grudge against all of them for a good six months.

Black felt his face ease into a smile. A triumphant sigh rose in his chest as he felt a sort of warmth run down his body, pulsing through his heart and to the rest of his body. He was absolutely positive White felt the same way.

Cinccino had managed to dodge all of White's attacks and was set on dodging for the rest of the time period until her master would give her the command to stop. The elderly woman's eyes were always trained onto her aged Cinccino, making sure to give her Pokémon the instructions to success—mostly survival.

"Dodge and weave Pidove; don't let attacks come _close _to you," White was almost jumping up and down in her spot. "Use Gust, and don't be afraid to close in on Cinccino!"

Pidove swooped low to the ground, so it seemed that she was hovering maybe a foot. Pidove winced a bit at the strain this move put on her wings. Having to hover down close to the ground and speed up at the same time was no easy task, and it was taking a toll on the muscly wings that Pidove contained underneath her soft plumage. Gravity was not a friend of flying-type Pokémon. Pidove flapped her powerful wings twice and then tucked them close to her body. Her dry, pointed talons pointed straight behind her. Closing her eyes for a moment, Pidove could feel the air rushing upwards against her rather large body. Snapping open her bright honey eyes, she could make out Cinccino raise her two tails up off the ground to propel herself forward for another powerful Slam. She was sure to make her target.

"Pull back now Pidove! Let it rip!"

Obediently, Pidove snapped out her wings and arched them backwards like a parachute. The air curved itself into her wings and pushed her backwards quickly. A small grey tornado swirled violently from where Pidove once flew, small brown and green clumps of earth swirled along with the stormy air. With another flap, Pidove sent it headfirst into Cinccino. The white lined Pokémon caught itself in the stormy tornado and was rampaged with the clumps of dirt that swirled along. Cinccino was blow back towards her trainer and stood up quickly, ready to deal some real damage.

"Enough." The woman declared, whilst running a wrinkly dark hand through her tousled white locks. She picked up Cinccino and embraced her tightly. After a few soothing words of praise and happiness, the woman put the elderly Pokémon back onto her shoulder. The Pokémon curled up naturally around Cici's neck.

White glanced toward Pidove who was gliding sloppily back over to her. Feeling an itch at the back of her eyes, White scrubbed at them both furiously with the back of her hands. Pidove neared closer to the brunette and flapped her wings in front of White in a hovering—patient—motion, waiting to hear what her friend would say. "Pi~"

"Oh Pidove," White mumbled. Her arms sprang out and she wrapped the bird-Pokémon in her arms. Her cerulean eyes scanned over Pidove to make sure she didn't have any cuts or bruises. After she happily found none, White shamelessly planted kisses all over Pidoves head and face. "You did magnificent Pidove, it was all you! My God, just 'Wow' I am so proud of you Pidove!"

Oshawott happily squealed up at Pidove from beside White's ankle. "Oshawott! Osh-Osh!"

Pidove chirped tiredly and nuzzled into White's collarbone happily.

White slowly released her hold on Pidove and set her gently on her shoulder. The sleepy Pokémon twittered tiredly and hopped into the hanging hood of White's sweatshirt. White coughed a bit at the sudden pressure on her throat but decided to walk toward the elderly woman for some clarity on the matter. The woman met her gaze and smiled fondly, a knowing nod followed her smile. She reached within her robe and withdrew another capturing device that matched the same colors of Black's. It was tinted Gold, and it seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. White hesitantly reached out for the ball. The weight of it was normal and the button in the middle was a regular creamy-white. White looked up and captured the violet eyes of Cici. "Thank you, for this experience. I-I promise to take care…of m-my new friend."

"I know you will." Cici responded. After a quick hug, and a few quick farewells, Cici hobbled off in the direction of Accumula city.

Black inhaled deeply and held his breath for minute before exhaling. "Well…I really want to go to sleep right now."

"You're telling me." White mumbled back, still holding onto the golden Pokéball as if her life depended on it. A strand of hair fell in front of White's face as she bent down to pick up Oshawott. After handing Oshawott the Pokéball, and making sure that her Pokémon was capable of holding it securely, Black and White made their way to Striaton City.

* * *

><p>"Well there's the Gym," White uttered, desperately trying to stop her nose from running. "It's still open!"<p>

Black glanced at Drilbur who was fast asleep on his head and sighed warily. "Let's just go to the Pokémon Center. Drilbur is really tired, you have a cold, and Pidove is feeling fatigued due to that muscle strain. We are going to rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll grab something to eat and then head to the Gym. We can fight better then."

A spike of anger rammed itself into White's neck. Black let out a choked air of surprise as he felt White's small fist ram itself into his ribs. "ARCEUS, Black! Give me a good reason to challenge all these Gym's with you!"

"We're going to get more Pokémon, that's a no brainer." Black started, his eyes calculating over White's facial expressions.

"Certainly seems that way."

"Badges gain respect from our Pokémon," Black continued. "They'll become stronger and if we don't have them respect our instructions…it'll be chaos. Breeders, Professors, and especially trainers aim for Gym badges. Didn't you know this already White?"

White sneezed into her elbow and nodded. "Of course I knew that."

"Then you shouldn't need a reason to challenge all the Gym's." Black felt a triumphant smile lace his lips upward.

White rolled her eyes, and they continued on their way with Pidove now residing strictly on White's shoulder. Oshawott held gently in White's arms, and Drilbur fast asleep on Black's head.

The dark wind picked up causing White's ponytail to flail around wildly. Black grit his teeth together and snatched White's hand in his. Much to her surprise, Black sprinted over to the Pokémon Center. They almost fell on top of each other once the automatic doors opened and they stepped into the warm caring embrace of the Healing Center.

"Oh man…thank Arceus we made it!" Black panted out. His hands were clenched firmly on his knees as he leaned over to retrieve his lost breath.

White sneezed once and grunted in agreement. "We should get Nurse Joy to check out our Pokémon before we sign up for a room."

"Quite obvious," Black said, sticking out his tongue.

They both raced their way over to the front desk and slammed their palms down on the counter-top bell. A disgruntled looking Nurse Joy immediately paced out from the back automatic doors. Her thin pink lip was clenched tightly against her upper teeth. In a very sudden motion, the Nurse plopped herself down in the roller-chair and began to type in a series of codes into the computer. Black and White exchanged a few surprised glances at the gall the older woman had. In a moment, the woman turned in her seat to look at the two. "Banging on that bell…at 12 am…What is wrong with you kids?"

White's eyebrow twitched before she bowed a bit, Black following suit. "Sorry ma'am, we're just really tired. We've—well, I have had a _very _long night and I would appreciate it greatly if you could heal our Pokémon then check out a room for us."

With a quick roll of her eyes the woman nodded and shoved an agreement form in White's direction. "Sign here and I'll check out your Pokémon and give you a room key."

"Alright." White signed the slip of paper and then passed it to Black who signed it in the same fashion as White. Handing the clipboard back to the lollipop haired woman, Black uttered a silent thank you.

They both handed over their Pokémon and received the room card, along with a pager for when their Pokémon were ready to be checked out.

When Joy made a move to pick up the Pokémon, Pidove chirped angrily at the Nurse and pecked at her petite fingers a bit.

* * *

><p>"I'm taking a shower first." Black called out as soon as they entered their bright baby-blue room.<p>

"Well that's not really fair! What happened to ladies first?"

"Lady?" Black questioned, while scratching his chin with a smirk playing at his lips.

"Fine then, but you're picking up Pidove and the rest!"

Black grabbed his pajamas out of the backpack. "Fair deal I suppose. I'll grab your soup on the way."

"Along with some food for everybody else," White muttered while peeling off her shoes. "Maybe some badge cases…"

"Badge cases!" Black almost jumped up in his spot due to excitement. She was actually suggesting something that was related to battling! "We're getting somewhere White, I can feel it!"

She glared at him with all her might before a wide smile consumed her face. She couldn't help the giddy feeling that rose in her throat at the thought of _progress_. "Well I hope I am making some progress. Looks like all these tears are getting me someplace."

Black let out a chuckle and backed out of the room with Drilbur at his side (head). After a moment of relaxed silence, Drilbur shifted on Black's head to attract his attention. "Dril- Dril?"

"I have a feeling you're wondering what happened with White that made her so hesitant to battle."

Drilbur muttered in a way that said "yes".

"Well…White's never been a cry-baby." Drilbur cocked an invisible eyebrow and grunted for Black to continue. "Hell, I never even thought she could cry.

"She was always, _really _tough but really nice at the same time. Crying was a major no-no for her and Mom was always really tough on White in order to spring a few tears into her eyes."

Drilbur growled and Black tensed up at the feeling of Drilburs claws extending against his head. "Well Mom loved us, no doubt about that. She just had the weirdest interests, like wanting to see her own daughter cry even _once. _ I admit I held a grudge against her for a while. I blamed her for…'Dad' leaving us and all sorts of crap. White always defended Mom though whenever I would accidently blow-up at her. Sad thing is, to cut straight to the point; White never knew what it was like to cry until two years ago."

Black was greeted by a silence as Drilbur's reply. "Two years ago, her partner Dewott died from a Magnum, it's a pistol, a sort of weapon we humans used to use to defend ourselves, but they're outlawed now…Anyway, he took a massive shot straight to the head."

Instantly, Drilbur was thrown into a fit of tears as he latched on desperately to Black's cap. "Drrrriiiillllll~ BURRRRR!"

"Yes it was extremely…" Black stopped short in the hallway and felt tears of his own grow in his honey brown eyes. "It was very…

"eye-opening."

* * *

><p>"Osha!"<p>

"Calm down and eat slowly Oshawott, you'll get a tummy-ache." White soothed out softly while munching on a cheese-crusted pizza.

Oshawott slowed down obediently and stuffed another yogurt ball into her dainty mouth while handing Pidove another sunflower seed. Pidove tweeted gratefully and snapped the seed expertly between her sharp beaks. Drilbur chewed slowly on another fluff of cotton candy except the color was now a tangy orange.

"Cheese-crusted pizza has always been our favorite food." Black swallowed another bite.

White hummed in response and closed her eyes for a moment before responding. "No argument there. Though, you've had a fetish for mashed potatoes lately…You're not cheating on our favorite food are you?"

Black guffawed and tore off another slice from the pizza carton that lay between them. "Hell to the no!"

The brunette raised her pizza slice up in the air to Black's slice, "Pizza forever?"

Black copied her motion until his pizza was level with hers, "Forever."

"Hey…weren't you supposed to get me some noodle soup?"

After a good number of hours later, White and Black sat themselves down on the floor. Their Pokémon followed suit and had simple conversation with one another.

"Should we let them out White? Is right now a good time?" He motioned to the golden capturing devices with his eyes.

"Shouldn't I be the hesitant one?" White breathed out. Her eyes remained glued to the floor as she traced her nail through the crevices of the hard wood floor. "I think right now is a good time."

"You go first then." Black carefully adjusted his tone to sound normal. "I gotta' admit, I am a bit nervous…"

White sighed nervously and pulled her knees up to her chest. With her left arm wrapped around her legs to keep them in place, White set the golden Pokéball on the ground and tapped the middle button quickly with her index finger.

Oshawott and Pidove froze in the midst of their conversation and stared at the Pokéball as it snapped open quickly. Drilbur kept talking to his two unfocused friends long after they stopped talking to him but still kept a wary onyx eye on the opening capture device.

A stream of light flowed from the open sphere and trailed out onto the floor between the group of travelers. White fiddled with the fleece stitch of her pajama pants and let out a sigh of a receding cold. Black grinned happily at the new Pokémon that sat on the floor, staring straight at White.

Its eyes were bright neon blue and with each quick twitch of its small head, they seemed to glow. A russet star shaped coat formed its face, in turn; its beautiful fur complimented its bright eyes, dusky nose, and cherry red mouth. Its torso was a complete dark gray which contrasted beautifully against its short russet colored legs. Its ears was the most surprising part, they were a snowy white and folded up against itself in a sagging motion. It let out a small whimper and stalked forward to White, an apprehensive feeling glazed its beautiful eyes completely.

White felt overcome at the sight of the beautiful Pokémon. It was quite obvious that this Pokémon had different genetics then most Pokémon of its species. Oshawott and Pidove immediately took place in front of White the second the Lillipup started moving forward. Lillipup barked ferociously at the both of them causing Pidove to ruffle her feathers intimidatingly and Oshawott to place a slender paw on her sharp shell in warning.

"Calm down guys." White stretched out a hand toward Lillipup. "Hey Lillipup, I'm White and it's really good to finally meet you."

Lillipup sniffed Whites' hand and recoiled in disgust before turning to Oshawott and Pidove.

**_Inside a Pokémon's mind_**

**_"Yo! The hell I doing in this dump? Where be that old witch?"_**

**_Oshawott threw him a bewildered look and put her hands on her wide hips. Pidove glared at Lillipup and fluffed her wings behind her back._**

**_"Watch your language you fool."_**

**_Oshawott nodded and sniffed in annoyance before turning to Pidove. "Would we have to break this one in?" She punched her paws together in a "tough-girl-effect"._**

**_Pidove groaned and shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Let's give him another chance before we accidently move onto unnecessary measures."_**

**_"You guys her guardians or somethin'?" Lillipup bit out._**

**_"Yeah we are." Oshawott stated, softening her gaze._**

**_Lillipup nodded in understanding. "Well, you guys seem…alright, so I'll chill and see where we go with this shit."_**

**_Oshawott whipped out her beige shell and bonked Lillipup lightly on the head, just hard enough to get the message through. Lillipup whimpered a bit before letting out a squeaky giggle that escalated to a psychotic sounding chuckle. Pidove tried desperately to hold on to her poker face but failed miserably and started to tweet along. Oshawott was lightly giggling under her breath, her solid arms held onto her ribs in an attempt to hold on to her laughter._**

**_Out of a Pokémon's mind_**

"Your Pokémon are crazy as fu—"

"I figured that out a while ago, but thanks for the heads up." White snapped.

Black let out a short laugh and leaned back on his elbows. "I can't even finish sentences now?"

White smirked and glanced over at her chatting Pokémon. A twinge of sympathy jolted her stomach, for Drilbur was just watching the conversation without a word. Black released his elbows from the ground and fell flat on his back causing White to look back over at him. "Nope, well, only every time you cuss. Since I am the oldest sibling, I am the dictator of the group, and the dictator says 'You shall not finish such vile worded sentences'."

"Ah, I always knew you were a dick- 'tator'."

"You're just adding on to your death-list. Ah, the possibilities."

Black's eyes softened and he pounced on White, catching her off guard. "You're possibly the best sister in the world."

"Wasn't that a bit cliché, even for you?"

Black chuckled and ruffled White's hair since she had left it down to hang around her shoulders. "Nothing's too cliché for the famous Black Ochi!"

White laughed out loud and hugged Black tightly to her body. "You're a caring little bro, y'know?"

"No need to tell me what I already know."

White noticed Black's Pokéball resting on the floor next to him. "Why don't we let your friend out? I'm sure they're both hungry."

The brunet nodded and leaned forward with a grunt to a sitting position. White asked politely for Oshawott to bring her the remaining yogurt balls. With as sniff, the otter Pokémon handed the big box of yogurt over to White. A quick flick of her wrist was the only motion needed to attract the attention of Lillipup. The puppy like Pokémon instantly gobbled up whatever White held in her hand, not bothering to even distinguish what the elegant trainer was holding.

Black gulped and bit the collar of his black pajama shirt which hung tightly to his compact, slim body. "Now," Black muttered to himself mostly. Drilbur approached Black and cheered in approval. "Alright Drilbur, let's do this."

Black tossed the golden ball up into the air. Everyone turned their eyes to the now sailing Pokéball (everyone besides Lillipup who was snacking greedily). Much to White's utter amusement, the Pokéball slammed straight back down onto Black's naturally spiky hair. During his brief disoriented moment, a white ray of light flew out of the ball eagerly, as if awaiting its release. The moment Black finally locked eyes with his new Pokémon, it sprang at him, claws withdrawn and waiting for release.

"GAH! Drilbur, help, AH! Oh my goodness, crazy, it's getting CRAZY UP IN HERE!"

Drilbur instantly knocked the Pokémon back with one of his extended claws. The purple spotted Pokémon glared at Drilbur and they both began to circle each other.

"Looks like you got a Purrloin, one of the most aggressive Pokémon in the Unova Region," White proclaimed, a relieved smile playing at her lips at the fact that she didn't receive the aggressive one. "Congratulations."

Black dragged a hand across his handsome face and swiped out his Pokédex from their backpack. After scanning the Pokémon, Black looked to White. "He's stronger than Drilbur."

"Oh, really," White mumbled while leaning over to glance at the Pokédex, bumping Black's head in the process. "Well it's not a major problem now is it?" White stuffed a vanilla yogurt ball into her mouth while rolling a strawberry one in Lillipup's direction.

"No it's not a problem. I guess I just expected Drilbur to be the strongest one in my team," Drilbur felt tears prickle into his tiny eyes at Black's words and gave up his little tussle with Purrloin. With heavy steps, Drilbur jumped onto the bed and fell asleep immediately. Purrloin smirked triumphantly, his baloonish head seemed to swell with pride. "I'll train Drilbur with all my might regardless. I'm just surprised. Purrloin is not *that* much stronger than Drilbur anyway, Drilbur would be able to hold his own.

"What about your Lillipup?"

"He's not trained at all, just born after all."

"Just how can you tell that?"

"I have a wide base of knowledge on Pokémon," White mumbled while running her hand through Lillipup's fur. "Didn't you know?"

"Stupid question," Black reasoned. "I already knew."

With a sharp sniff and a sickly sigh, White got up to her feet and plopped on the bed, pulling up the sheets and blankets in the process. Black followed suit with more languid movements, Drilbur and his new aggressive Purrloin followed (they both glared at each other until Drilbur fell asleep). Pidove nestled on the rim of the expensive lamp that lay on a mahogany night-table between the two twin beds. Oshawott hopped beneath the covers along with White, her sharp whiskers poking her trainer in side, causing delayed giggles. Lillipup sniffed White's hair before snorting and nestling underneath the pillow, causing a rising lump to angle the brunette's neck at an odd degree.

* * *

><p>Long into the night White automatically opened her eyes, slowly as to readjust from coming back from the dream world. She could make out Blacks' figure balling up beneath the covers and it scared her a bit, wouldn't a moving lump in the pitch dark scare you too? Black got up carefully from the covers and padded quickly across the cold, wooded floors to Whites' bed.<p>

"White," Black leaned in close to her face, causing White to flicker her eyes violently in order to fully awaken. "You awake?"

"Well I am now," White muttered back patiently before rolling over so that her face was muffled in the soft pillows.

Black paused for a bit before sucking in a deep breath, making Whites' body tense in apprehension to his next action. Slowly, Black peeled the covers up and away from her body. Automatically, White rolled all the way over to be close to the wall, but not pressed against it since Oshawott maintained the area near there. The brunet instantly filled the vacant area and wrapped his slightly toned arms around his sister, pulling her in closer. White sighed, now vertically annoyed at all the movement when she was supposed to be asleep. Black always used to do this, until 3 years ago. Every night he would wake up and stalk over to her bed, since they both shared a room. Respectively, he would ask if she was awake and she would reply with the same answer. Thus, he would crawl into bed next to her and sleep calmly.

"You haven't slept with me in so long, Black," White muttered against his chest, a noticeable smile pressed against his breast.

He chuckled and sighed, his nose and forehead wrinkled together in a complicated thinking process. White noticed immediately and wiggled her eyebrows up at him, causing him to smile and sigh once more. "Did you have a bad dream, Black?"

"Well, yeah, I always have bad dreams."

The easy fluid moment of how he said it made it obvious as to how much he respected this fact now and had come to terms with it, it was to be expected after all these years.

"Don't wet the bed," White joked before closing her eyes and yawning into his shirt. "I won't ask you what it's about."

"Thanks," Black muttered back closing his eyes and hugging his sister one more time before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>"What's the status of Pokémon that have been allowed to perfection?"<p>

"A mere twenty percent, Father," N responded half-heartedly, his hands and mind were too busy petting his Purrloin to pay too much attention to his father.

Ghetsis frowned and stood beside the table where N sat, his crimson eye piece dulled in the beige light of the main dining area's chandelier. "These are from a majority of your battles with other trainers, am I right?"

"Yes," N answered quickly, knowing that if answered with too long a statement, his father would grow cross with him.

"Are any of the trainers-" Ghetsis froze and adjusted his eye piece before continuing. "Do any of them have an influencing reign over Unova?"

N sat back in his chair and glanced at his Purrloin for a long moment before looking up into his father's challenging eyes. The eyes that knew a truth from a lie. "Possibly."

"Explicate," Ghetsis answered sharply before sitting down in a chair adjacent to his.

"Make them leave first," N motioned to all the Plasma grunts that stood guard at the corners of the rooms, hidden in the shadows. They all left automatically at his words, not needing a motion or command from their more cynical leader, Ghetsis. "A girl and her brother."

"Names, I need names," Ghetsis said quickly, his visible eye widening considerably.

N smirked in an innocent fashion. "You might know this name, White Ochi."

"You've met her?"

"Indeed I have," N replied, resuming his task of grooming his Purrloin with his hands.

Ghetsis scowled at the thought. "The girl who irresponsibly got her Dewott killed?"

"I don't believe she would do such a thing on purpose," N said quickly, defending the innocent girl absently. "What else must you know father? May I go? I have work to attend to."

The beige-haired male shook his head, stopping his son immediately from rising. "I want you to help this girl."

N was silent, obviously waiting on his father to elaborate.

"This girl…attracts a lot of publicity, am I right?" N nodded unsurely. "If you assist this girl with her phobia then I believe the press would listen to you more, the more you spend time with her."

"How did you know about her fear of letting Pokémon go?"

"Never mind that," Ghetsis snapped, an almost joyful smile flashed onto his face. "You've already built up quite a reputation for yourself, and it'll be in your favor if you become good friends with this girl. She'd even release her Pokémon under the right influence."

The green haired male smiled at the idea. "I would like to spend less time here and focus on converting, over in the outside world."

"You must also spend some time with Clara if you expect this marriage to go through safely. It's not wise to ignore a lady."

All the good feeling rushed out through N's stomach. "Of course father."

Clara, his soon to be wife with the eggshell skin and blue as the ocean hair that was always hung up in pig-tails. She was pleasant, yes, yet she couldn't hold a conversation for more than a minute before pouncing on his lips. Of course, she tried to make him do more activities that were not appropriate even for a married couple. This took no effort to say no to, after all, she was mostly just a perverse girl who he was to marry, and he didn't take kindly to the idea.

"Ah, she is such a pleasant female. Quite a good choice on my part, am I right, N?"

"I suppose," N muttered, slightly disgusted at the tone his father took when talking about his fiancé.

Ghetsis smiled humbly to himself. "Oh, the grandchildren!"

N felt sick to his stomach at the thought. Children, yes maybe so, but his father seemed to want them _now_. More children with the ability that N possessed. "I believe I must leave now father, I have to challenge the Striaton Gym. The original plan we decided on." He pointed out his last sentence with a lower pitch.

"Well of course," Ghetsis sniffed. "Get that White _girl _fixed up and report to me every so often. Don't come back, or things will get suspicious, your ties with Plasma won't exactly be in your favor since a small rebellion has started tracking our movements."

"Understood," N answered, rising from his seat and pushing in his chair. Zorua appeared from underneath the table and bounded up N's body to reside on his hat, Purrloin lounged lazily on N's shoulder. "I'll be taking all my friends with me."

Ghetsis rose as well and placed his hands in his sleeves. "Whatever you need to be successful, the fate of Pokémon reside on you."

* * *

><p>"This could be some sort of tourist death trap for all we know!"<p>

"Well it's not," White swallowed a massive chunk of omelet and glared lustfully at Black's remaining crepe. "You gonna' finish that?"

He grunted stern fully and shoved the remaining bite into his mouth. White glared back at him playfully before turning to Pidove, Oshawott, and Lillipup. They were all eating from a wide, colorful bowl filled with an assortment of berries. A red bowl of whole Miltank milk sat between the three of them as they chatted peacefully with light, playful banter. Drilbur and Purrloin on the other hand were fighting fitfully over the remaining piece of pancake that sat in a platter between them.

After Black and White sipped their coffee for a good twenty minutes, their server came up.

"Ah, I hope you enjoyed your meal. I'll be your special bill deliverer for today—" the waiter stopped short and stared at White for a long moment, moving his long blue hair out of his eyes for a better look. "White Ochi… Why…I was beginning to think I'd never see your beautiful face again. All I'd have to live off of is the falseness of my dreams."

White rose from her elegant chair quickly and pulled the blue-haired waiter into a tight hug. "Still the big lady's man, huh?"

Cress nuzzled his face into her shoulder and sighed before releasing White and holding her at arm's length. When he spoke, a mourning vibe laced his pitch. "How are you?"

The brunette's smile faltered and she almost whispered her response. "C'mon man, no sympathy in public. What to make me look like a blubbering fool?" Her tone was light and not accusing.

"Far from it," Cress exclaimed with a relieved sigh, Cress let her go and motioned to Black sitting silently at the table. "This must be your younger brother, am I right? Of course I'm right, look at that striking resemblance; he doesn't have your gorgeous eyes though my dear."

"Aren't you always right Cress?" White drawled out playfully, looping his arm through her own. He was a good a best-friend as Cheren ever was.

"I do seem to have a knack for it."

"WHITE OCHI!"

A clatter from the back of the restaurant sent White jumping back into her seat. A sunny-red headed male busted through the elegant back doors. The rich smells of bacon, eggs, and wheat wafted into the room. As soon at the closed, the elegant smells disappeared. A young looking teen around White's age bounded over to the group, a wide mischievous smile set permanently upon his face. His hair was indeed, another matter, as it was dyed magma red, and spiked-up to resemble a flame.

"Chili," White said mostly to herself, a bit unbelieving at the sight of one of her closest friends. As Chili swooped White into his arms, she whispered in his ear. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Well it should be," Chili responded cockily before embracing her in another tight hug. "But I'm sure I'm the happiest of this big group! Oh, I see you brought your little bro, the one you told us so much about. You guys came to challenge us for a battle, am I right?"

"Yeah," Black answered quickly, rising from his seat, his hand held out for a shake. "If it's convenient for you, that is."

Cress flicked his head to side to shift his bangs for a better view of Black. "Nice of you to ask, nobody ever asks us what is convenient for us, they just barge in and demand a battle. Quite rude."

"I imagine it would be," White said in agreement, already feeling the prickles of anger and annoyance pick at her neck.

"Everybody's been feeling pretty polite though today," Chili rubbed the back of his neck in fatigue and sighed, already worn out from the day. "This guy totally stormed us today with his fox lookin' Pokémon! But he was pretty cool, we had a really long conversation about Pokémon and stuff…a lot of the ladies kept crowding around us though, always asking for a cup of water or coffee or something. Like, geez, can't we have a conversation in peace? Ask one of the other damn employees!"

"A guy with a fox looking Pokémon," Black muttered back to himself, his face growing a heated red at the hated memory of the long-haired trainer.

"I sense some tensiooon," Cress cooed, an amused smirk brightening his features. "His name was…N, I believe, right Chili?"

The flame-haired male nodded immediately. "Don't act like you forgot Cress! You were so into that conversation."

"DID I HEAR THE NAME, WHITE OCHI?"

"Ah, bollocks, here comes Mr. Mullet guy," Chili droned, his face drooping down considerably.

The curvaceous white back doors swung open once again, a green mullet-haired male emerging excitedly. A long silver plate with a firm cover on top was held firmly in the palm of his hand. The top spikes of his hair bobbed with every step, causing the back spikes near his neck to swish back in forth in a metronome rhythm.

"Get ready," Cress murmured to White. "He hasn't changed at all these past two years."

"Thanks for the heads up," White muttered back before steeling herself and yelling at the incoming Cilan. "You might want to bring that food to your waiting costumers, you'll never know when there's a critic around."

Cilan stopped short and glanced with new eyes to the plate in his palm. "Oh yeah, that!"

"So that was Cilan," Black mumbled, his voice fading slightly with disapproval.

White snapped her head in his direction, a deep frown taking place on her lips. "Don't go judging people so quickly Black," She already knew what her younger brother was thinking, and she didn't like it. "At least not so early in the day."

Black blushed and sat back down. He felt a spike of anger towards White for scolding him in public, of course, who wouldn't? Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew he would be well beyond it in an hour or less. They were that close.

"You guys seem pretty busy," White said, looking around the café with surprised eyes, a satisfied blush dusting her cheeks. "It's breakfast after all, we can just challenge you later. Maybe on another day, yeah that would be better."

"Ah, we're always busy," Chili growled, closing his eyes and folding his arms behind his neck. Cress nodded in agreement.

The blue-haired waiter took White's bill and crumpled it up. "We can challenge you, and I'm sorry to be all rushy-rushy on you guys, but it'll have to be a quick battle. Business is really booming, and we need all the help we can get."

"That means we can't take it easy on you guys," Chili confirmed, his eyes lighting up at the idea of a real battle.

The brunet of the group jumped up and smiled, Drilbur and Purrloin following. "That makes it even better; no one gets stronger off weak battles."

Chili instantly took Black's head in the crook of his elbow and wrangled his spiky hair with a fierce knuckle-sandwich. "I like your spunk kid, just get ready for a world of humiliation."

Black smiled up at Chili through his matted bangs. "Take your own advice."

Cress sighed in amusement before turning to White and hugging her again. "Absolutely wonderful to see you again, you have to visit us more often. I really don't approve of these 'every-two-years' visits!"

"Of course, as much as possible," White hugged him closer to her chest and smiled. "Where's Cilan?"

"RIGHT HERE," Cilan jogged over and shoved Cress away, causing his older brother to glare menacingly at him. White laughed and embraced him tightly, Cilan putting an equal amount of strength into the hug also. "Arceus, White, you left me crying for two years! How could you do this to your older brother?"

"Brother?" Black sniffed and glared at Cilan. "I'm the only bro—"

White kissed Black on the cheek and punched him in the chest. "Don't be jealous Blackie."

"Ah, whatever," Black growled and was led away by the blue and red haired twins to converse about their upcoming battle.

Cilan took White, by the hand, over to their past table and cocked his head at White's Pokémon. "My, your Pokémon are looking positively healthy."

"I know right," White kissed them all on the head and smiled up at Cilan. "I'm really hesitant about this battle Cilan."

With a fatigued sigh, Cilan smiled at her Pokémon before returning his gaze to White. "Don't worry, no Pokémon would ever fatally injure another Pokémon in battle, unless their trainer had horrible intentions. No trainer has ever had those intention before, so don't worry, everything will be alright."

With multiple knowing nods, White closed her eyes and breathed deeply before opening them up once again. "I'm thinking of actually having a…goal."

"Er, well," Cilan was suddenly shocked at her sudden choice of words. She hadn't had a goal at all before? He's going to have to tread carefully through this conversation.

Blinking quickly, White suddenly felt a dose of dread run down her back at Cilan's lack of words. "W-well, I w-was thinking of becoming a…sort of, Pokémon healer."

Cilan laughed giddily and slammed his palms down on the table in excitement, causing White to flinch. So much for treading carefully. "That is wonderful White! Absolutely wonderful! Do you mean, as in, to work at a Pokémon Center?"

"No," White mumbled, fishing out the correct words from the depths of her brain, realizing her true goals for the first time. "I think it would be a sort of long-term Daycare."

"Marvelous," Cilan breathed, his eyes shining with mirth, his fingers drummed excitedly on the clothed table.

White let loose a shake sigh and took off her cap before putting it back on again. "I'm glad you think so."

"Hey White," Black called, his hands stuffed in his pockets, while an eager smile resided on his face. "We can have a double battle."

The brunette dropped her head and took in a relieved breath. "That would make me feel a _lot _better about this whole mess."

Black nodded in an understanding fashion and held out a hand for Cilan to shake. The lime-haired male eagerly shook his hand and exchanged greetings. The brunet took a nearby chair from one of the vacant tables (Cilan's request of course) and sat beside White in order to properly join the conversation. "How come there are three Gym leaders?" White sent Black a cross look, causing him to instantly rephrase his question. "If I may ask, of course."

Cilan chuckled before responding. "We want to make sure, that you trained at least a little bit before you came here. It's mandatory that if you want to challenge the Pokémon league, you come here first. So most people have Fire, Water, or Grass types, we have the same sort of Pokémon. Whichever Pokémon you received from the **Pokémon Starter Society**, one of us will go against you with an advantage."

"I got it," Black responded, his face already twisting up with the giddiness that filled his chest. "When would we be able to challenge?"

"Right now," Chili answered for Cilan as he emerged from the bathroom. "What Pokémon do you have Black?"

Drilbur cheered and hopped on the table in front of Black, his claws gleaming brilliantly before the elegant candle that burned lightly in the middle of the table. "Drilbur!"

Purrloin growled at Drilbur and shoved him away from the spotlight with a light kick. Black laughed nervously at the complete lack of teamwork his Pokémon held. With a sly grin Purrloin snapped out his lengthy purple claws, almost brandishing Cilan's mullet in the process. "Purrrrrrlooiiinnn~"

"Your Purrloin is fucking creepy," Chili murmured outright, his eyes going into slits comically.

"Chili!" Cress slapped Chili on the shoulder before turning to Black. "Your Pokémon is a bit creepy dude, that's all."

Purrloin frowned and sniffed, his balloonish head almost teetering off the table. White reached out and petted Purrloin's head, to give some caring reassurance and mostly to stop his fat head from falling onto the floor. "It's alright Purrloin," White glared at the two men. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves! I have the right mind to insult the crap out of all of you!"

Chili and Cress murmured their apologies while Black and Cilan guffawed onto the table, tears nearly falling out of their eyes. Cress blushed a deep red while Chili dug the toe of his shoe into the polished wood floor. Cilan sighed from the laugh and rubbed at his tearing eyes. "Alright White, you and I are going to be fighting this battle. Cress will be with your brother on this one."

White glanced at the floor from the corner of her eye, feeling a bit dis-heartened at the idea of a battle, or maybe, it was excitement. Who actually knew? "Alright, I'm ready."

"That's great White," Black said, he sent a proud smile in her direction. "We'll do this together, I have your back."

Her ocean-eyes blinked in appreciation before she responded. "I always have your back, Black. I'm doing this for you."

Black hugged her and smiled before whispering in her ear. "Ditto."

The red haired gym leader sighed and scratched his neck in disappointment. "I guess I'll have to sit this one out, again."

"It's alright Chili," White comforted, a knowing smile on her lips. "Hang around though; I need a lot of support."

"Okay, well, we need to give Blackie here a little lesson on Gym Battles, y'know the policy White, so we'll just be away for maybe…20 minutes?" Cress said, leaning onto White's shoulder with an outstretched hand.

"That's alright, I'll just wait here."

* * *

><p>"Ah, Oshawott…are you nervous?"<p>

Oshawott shook her head quickly and stuffed another berry into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a Pikachu's and she smiled up at White. "MmmOshmmm."

"What about you Pidove?" White secretly hoped one of her Pokémon was nervous, just so she wouldn't be alone in the matter.

"Pidove," The stoic bird-Pokémon answered, her eyes seemed to know every move Cilan would throw at them. After pecking at the water in White's cup, she spread her muscular wings and twittered. She wasn't nervous at all. In fact, she was extremely eager.

White's head drooped down immediately and she glanced out the wide window that stood next to their table. Children were running around with their mothers while some lounged or took naps on their fathers' backs. After a moment of silent watching White looked to her tiny Lillipup and stroked from his head down to his back. "Sorry buddy, you're going to have to sit this one out. You're a bit too young, and I don't want you getting hurt."

Lillipup shrugged his shoulders and continued to lap up the sweet milk from the bowl. "Lil~"

"Your Lillipup is the most beautiful thing I've laid eyes on today."

White looked up and met grey flickering eyes. "Oh, nice to see you again N."

N nodded and stood next to a vacant chair. "It's very pleasant to see you also."

"You can sit down," White answered quickly, noticing how he seemed a bit tense to be standing up. After he sat down, White leaned backwards in her chair and saluted him. "What's up dude?"

"The ceiling," the mist-eyed male responded with a playful smile.

"Metaphorically man…"

"I'm assuming that you mean to ask me how I'm feeling today," N said quickly before drawing circles on the white table-cloth. "Everything is going very well in that sense."

White nodded and started to pull on her curls. "That's nice," After a moment White motioned to the bowl of berries. "You want some?"

"I already ate, the food here is excellent; wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah I would," White felt a goofy smile crawl up to her face. "Cilan, Cress, and Chili are the best cooks. I wouldn't say they are better than me though, y'know, womanly pride and what not."

N chuckled and locked eyes with White. The fact that she avoided his gaze at all times irked him greatly. "How are you today?"

"Great, but I'm really nervous right now. We're about to challenge the Gym here. Black is in the back getting a lesson or something on Gym rules and how they apply to joining the Pokémon League."

"You're nervous?" N frowned a bit and glanced her Pokémon. They seemed to tense around him, as if ready to protect their trainer if he made a sudden movement. "Have you no faith in them?" He motioned to her Pokémon.

With a quick roll of her eyes to the side, White let a crestfallen smile slip through. "I think you got it backwards, N. I have no faith in myself, but I have a lot of faith in my Pokémon to patch up the errors in my plan."

"And just what is your plan?"

"To wing it," White let out a whistle of anger and sat up-right. "You obviously came here for something, so what is it?"

N ran a hand through his hair and smiled. She was a sharp one alright. After a moment of thinking, N responded. "I want to help you."

"In what way?" White scowled before adding. "And how?"

"You are scared, of your Pokémon getting hurt," N explained, causing White to nod in admittance. "I can help you gain trust in your friends. You aren't like other trainers; you have compassion over every single wound your Pokémon may receive. If you continue on the road of a trainer, you can count on many casualties on your part." He watched her wince a bit and nodded mentally. He was winning this case. "I can help you, White."

She had stiffened during his little speech and scratched the back of her neck for a minute. Oshawott and Pidove had finished eating and where watching White for her response. Lillipup, who was busy scratching his creamy ears, was still focused on the conversation White and N were having. White yawned and diverted her eyes to glance at the cloth, his eyes were too distracting. "I don't exactly plan to be a trainer."

"I'm sure there is a reason to that," N said reassuringly, a humble smile placed on his face.

"I want to be a Pokémon Caretaker. Not one of those daycare's however, but a person who helps trainers who are too busy to take care of their own Pokémon," it sounded so much simpler than before.

N nodded and smiled again, before his lips drooped back down in a serious fashion. "That takes a lot of effort, and a strong degree in Medicine for Pokémon."

"I know that," White said, even though this was new to her. Grabbing an Oran berry from the bowl, White took a small bite from the juicy fruit. "When you say you want to help me, do you mean…we like, travel together? Like a sort of 'mobile-rehab'?"

"Yes, I'll help you achieve your goal," N restated, his lips quirked upward at how direct she was. She was a comedian alright, a cook, a virtuoso, and a listener. He was an observant person, no use in hiding that fact. "If you'll let me that is, White."

He reached for her hand on the table-top. Whenever a wanted a favor from a female grunt, he'd usually just touch their hand and they'd run off on the task he'd ask them. Or any other lady he had set his mind too. **(A/N: Stop being perv's you little goofs! N prides himself on his…gentlemanliness?)** He had managed to touch the tips of her left hand. They were calloused, yet soft from no real labor. She must have been an Orchestra oriented person. "Is that alright with you?"

"Dude!" White snatched her hand away and shoved it into her lap. Feeling a bit more wary around him, yet contemplating his offer with all seriousness. "I don't know you that well. Besides, I don't think Black would be alright traveling with you also. He doesn't have the best thoughts about you."

"Sorry," N muttered quickly, stroking his eyes over in the directions of her hand. After a moment of thinking, N warily took a berry from the bowl. "I didn't expect you guys to travel together forever. I thought Black had wanted to join the '**Musical Boys Group**'. You would go on your own to breeding school after that. Were my thought not logical?"

White's eyes widened and she rapped on the table with her knuckle nervously. "No I don't believe they were. What do you mean Black wanted to join that group? Aren't they famous and really hard to get into?"

"Black and I had a conversation before our battle. It was quite pleasant actually," N said calmly his gaze was a bit distant as he recalled the conversation he had shared with the brunet. "Apparently he had posted videos of his singing talent on the web. They then asked him if he would like to join their group since they challenge all the Gyms and then the league, they perform small concerts along the way so they get some experience of performing before splitting up."

"That's fantastic," White breathed, her eyes sparkled and she drank from her cup. N nodded and smiled again. His eyes began to roam around the café as White took a moment to process all the information that was given to her. Her plump lips would quirk upwards or fall down quickly at different moments with each thought and emotion she felt causing N to grin at how she wore her emotions on her sleeve. N decided to watch the passing people and Pokémon from the window and only turned to look at White when she placed her small hand on his large one. "It wouldn't bother you…to do this for me?"

"It's not aiding only you," N said reassuringly. "It will benefit me also. I'm happy to help. I want you to be able to live your life free of worry."

White breathed a shaky sigh and smiled up at N. The prospect of being free of that nagging, un-fun monster that lurked around her brain just taunting her with cruel words such as, "Your Pokémon will die from your insolence" was awe-inspiring.

"Well I'm ready for it N," White took a moment to gather up her emotional wall and place it back up again. She hadn't noticed that he broke it down to easily.

"I'm sorry I pushed this on you," N muttered as if he had came out of a trance. His expression was one of a scolded child. His tone took a sorrowful pitch. "I can be a bit pushy…"

"Not at all," White answered feeling a bit confused as she withdrew her hand and popped another berry into her mouth. After a moment of silence and her almost inaudible crunching on the cold, crisp berry, White started to tug on her curls. "I'm a bit hesitant about this and all…I don't really know anything about you…but you seem pretty cool.

Well, you don't seem like _that _kind of person. Y'know what I'm saying?"

N cringed a bit and his face paled. "You mean a rapist?"

"Er, yeah, exactly," White said, snapping her fingers in the process. "But I'm tired of crying all the time. I never cry so this was a really…difficult time for me. I never cry as I said before, and I don't like it. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to obtain Pidove or Lillipup—I felt like a monster!"

"Is that right?" N asked, intrigued at how angered White seemed at her own actions. How she said 'obtain' irked him completely. How could you obtain a friend?

White opened her mouth to continue before pausing. "I'll tell you later—wait a second…due you have an accent?"

Immediately, N bashfully averted his gaze to the table. People always had to bring up his accent. They were either very rude about it, or treated him like he had a mental disorder. Neither was very pleasant to experience. "I suppose."

"Don't 'I suppose' me! That accent is kick-ass. It's not that strong, but it's there, I can tell. Do people bring it up a lot?"

He nodded.

"Heh, I bet that is as annoying as crap."

"It's not very annoying when people bring it up; they are mostly just very brash about it."

"Oops."

"Don't worry about it." N said a fleeting smile seemed to cling to his lips.

* * *

><p>"What. A. Rush." Black breathed out. His eyes were aglow as he slung an arm over his sister's petite shoulders.<p>

White's legs trembled as she watched the gleaming badge in her purple Gym-Case carefully. It wasn't really a rush; instead her brain just activated its fight-or-flight response so she seemed to blank out a bit as her mouth called out orders to her Pokémon. Apparently, her body did a good job while her sub-conscious took a little vacation to another world. The badge was proof.

"There's N," White's voice faded out to a high squeaky pitch as Black's arm fell from her shoulders. The lime-haired male strolled over and smiled at White before turning to Black, his smile a bit more strained.

"Hello Black."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Black~" White felt as if she was in a drunken stupor, yet she did nothing to stop the lightheadedness. The battle took a lot out of her. "Watch your mouth."

Black glanced at her worriedly and noticed immediately at how she slowly shuffled over to N's side. "What are you doing?" He bit out his sentence and was prepared to snatch White back over. _She must be a bit loony right now._

"Lemme go Black," White murmured gently, unclenching his fingers from her arm. "I have to tell you something."

N nodded his head and clenched his jaw when he looked back at Black. Black wasn't the only one with a grudge. "I would appreciate it, if you would allow me to take your sister into my care. You wanted to help your sister with her phobia, but I have a smoother method to handle this. You'd help her if you allowed me to travel with her, and let me help her experience things in a new light."

"You're just doing this because you want to release her Pokémon. Hell to the no."

White shook her head and felt her lightheadedness disappear quickly. "Black, this is for the best. It's best if we go our own way, on our own pursuits. You want to join your little boy band and I want…to get better."

"White," Black whined, his eyes pleading. "How did you even found out about that musical group?"

"N told me."

Black turned to glare at N. His eyebrows scrunched together, causing his cute features to become more strained. "I shouldn't have told you shit. You're ruining everything, just leave."

"Black," She said lowly, her eyes lowered a bit at seeing her younger brothers eyes redden. "I'm really sorry about this…" She stepped forward to embrace him in a tight hug.

"No, no, no," Black quipped after a moment as he turned his gaze toward N. "You better take care of her you jackass." He turned back to White and sighed while blinking rapidly to fight back the tears. "I'm sorry you had to find out about my plans like this, I seriously meant to tell you, when you were all better—"

"That group takes only males. They don't travel with females," White cut down his sentence with a smile before intertwining her fingers through his. "Buy an X-transceiver on your journey with those boys. Call me often, or I'll call you."

A few tears slipped through his eyes unconsciously as he nodded. "Everyday."

"Everyday." White repeated back as she leaned forward to hide her head in his arm. This was their first separation. Ever since Black was born, she was right there in that hospital room. She held him first when his dad refused to, because his hands were too sweaty. When he started elementary school, she was the one who took him, and walked him home. When she wasn't helping him with his homework, she was cooking for him, or doing his laundry. When he was bored, she would play with him and invent new games that just _captivated _his imagination. It didn't take long at all until their minds blended into one and they began to think and feel the same. Tears slipped through her eyelids as she bit on her lower lip. The sobs erupting from her throat pushed its way past her lips. This was the only time she wanted to cry and fully allowed herself to.

Reaching a hand up to his level, she patted his soft hair down, which ended up in his spiky hair puffing back up again. "If you have a concert or something, call me, or text me okay? I want to be there for every single one."

"Of course, but you've never told me your dream, White." Black mumbled while rubbing at his eyes with the palm of his hands.

"I'm going to be a Pokémon Caretaker, Black," White said proudly, even though her voice sounded a tad bit congested. "And you are going to be a famous singer. That's my Blackie. Go wow the world, and the Pokémon League."

"This isn't goodbye…"

"Of course not," White snorted. "I'll see you then, idiot."

"Whatever, bimbo!"

More tears grew in her eyes as she threw her arms around Black. "Oh, Black, I'm so sorry, I-I, I really wish y-you could come but your d-dreams and all—"

Black patted her back and sighed before pulling her away to an arm's length. "I better get going then. I'm going to go buy the X-transceiver and then call Sam up. He's the leader of the group and all… I'll probably be moving a bit faster around Unova, since we have all those Gyms to go to…and concerts to perform and such." He said the last bit playfully.

"I'm glad. But before you go, here's the number of my X-transceiver." White withdrew a paper from her purse and wrote down the number. White tucked it into the pocket of his blue jacket and kissed his cheek before patting him away.

Her heart started to rumble and crawl up her throat as she felt more tears bite their way into her eyes. Black turned away from her to head toward the Pokémon Center. He was going to buy the X-transceiver as he had said before. The lightheaded feeling returned, causing her head to pound viciously as Black's figure slowly disappeared to nothing as he entered the Pokémon Center.

"N?" White said as her voice broke as she drawled on the letter.

"Yes?" N questioned as he stepped forward to stand by her side.

"I'm sad."

N flipped his head to get his choppy bangs out of his eyes before looking down at White. "I'm sorry. This must be difficult for you."

"So you're the 'Captain Obvious' kind of guy huh?" White set up a goofy laugh and wiped the stray tears from her eyes before turning to look at N. "Kind of ironic if you think about my last sentence. Get it?"

N chuckled. It was a low understanding laugh that died away quickly, yet it seemed to growl deep within his chest. "Yes I suppose it was. We should start going now if we want to make it to the next city."

White held her head in her palm before nodding. Her knees wobbled to the side for a minute until she regained her balance. "Yeah, just—I need some support until this headache thing goes away."

She reached for his hand and pulled him along the road. He followed silently until she slowed her pace and leaned against his tall frame. "Sorry for being all over you. I can barely stand right now."

"It's alright," N said quietly as he stopped before a busy intersection. White's hand tightened around his as she felt her head begin to pulse more. It was really starting to hurt now. "We need to keep your brain circulating so you stop having a headache."

"Okay, let's chat a little bit," White said compliantly as she shifted her head against his upper arm for more comfort. Her legs shook with each step she took, causing them to move at an incredibly slow pace. N didn't seem to mind though.

"Do you have any siblings?"

N scrunched up his nose and took a moment to think. "Yeah, I have one."

"You had to actually think about it?" She asked incredulously.

"I guess I did," N said in a surprised tone. A hidden laugh was easily heard behind his words.

White felt her headache pulse to nothing. After sighing in relief, she detached herself from N's side and snapped her hand away before glancing at him from the corner of her eye. A playful glint shined in her aquamarine eyes as she ran in front of N and placed her hands on her hips. "My head feels better! We need to have a serious conversation on our way over to the next city by the way. I want to hear more about your…sister?"

"My brother," N corrected with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," White waved it off with her hand playfully before pointing toward a bright tunnel. "We have enough time to know your story."

N circled around her and grabbed her by the hand. The brunette let out a gasp as N sprinted through the tunnel with an amused smirk on his face. On the outside of the tunnel, N turned around to smile at her playfully. "Only if you tell me about you."

"No secrets," White said as she held out her hand with a smile. N repeated what she said and shook her hand also. "You better promise!"

"I promise." N said honestly as a pleasant smile filled his features.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok so if you want really fast updates, just spam me with really nice reviews, MOTIVATION rocks for us fanfiction writers with no pay :P<strong>

**But then again, if you ghost-readers are like IDGAF, then yeah...wonder why some of the stories on your alert list aren't continued? Think about it~But you guys are like the COOL CRITICS, so you rock~ Im a ghost reader also XD So I don't blame you, but if you review your rock, if you don't...you jam. :D**

**I won't give up on this, and I'm serious, I have it all planned out, just let me go finish my dallas symphony tour and I'll get on the road every 2 weeks it'll be update on FRIDAYS!**

**P.S. Do you want to be famous?: -False advertising alert! Okay, whoever writes me the longest review that has Pros, cons, grammar tips (if needed) anything. Or if it's just a plain nice review about the story, I WILL DEDICATE THE NEXT CHAPTER TO YOU! :D What you'll get from that? Em...You can say a chapter was written for you? :P**

**"Have fun with that..." (TSLoZaC)**

**~Shadow-chan**

**OMFG I ALMOST FORGOT! I'm eating a hershey bar! *OPRAH VOICE* EVERYONE LOOK UNDER YOUR SEATS! YOU ALL GET YOUR OWN HERSHEY BAR! *Points at readers* YOU GET A HERSHEY BAR! AND YOU! AND YOU TOO GHOST-READERS! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh my goodness guys, WTF? I'm soooo sorry for yet ANOTHER late update =_= I seem really undependable don't I? But you can all thank kitty0233 for reminding me that I need to get off my lazy ass and update! You're wish is my command so here's a shout out to her because she rocks. Whoever reviews or messages me that I need to update automatically gets a shoutout. No questions.**

**Dedicated to: SilverxBird and ...*DRUM ROLL* Lovetime3579 :DD Congratulations, you have the liberty of saying..."DIS CHAP MINE YO LAYOFF! WER TEH CHICKENZZZ?" (I'm black so and hispanic so I'm not racist XD)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own this darn...GAH! *Throws copyright out the window* Do you think anyone on this website owns anything except OC'S GO ASK NINTENDO FOR MONEY...You-YOU-YOU GAME FREAK! :C *Bawls and runs out***

**Warning: A lot of fluff here, I'm kind of ashamed, I hope their relationship isn't progressing too fast, lemme know and I'll slow it down a notch. But N is hot, so if you were traveling with him...You'd be all over that hunk of hot anime/manga/game meat XD**

**Song of the Day:iNsaNiTY with KAITO and stuffz (mmhmm, that Kaito meat be YUMME! -say with black accent)**

* * *

><p>"So his name is Wally?"<p>

"Yeah."

"N and Wally," White mused as she removed 3 Pokéballs from her belt satchel. "Is he your older brother?" Oshawott, Pidove, and Lillipup emerged from their respective mobile homes and began to stride along besides White.

N glanced over at White's released Pokémon happily. "No, he's just a teenager."

She nodded understandingly and scooped Lillipup into her arms. That's when it dawned on her. "Are you not a teenager?"

A bit alarmed at her high pitch, he glanced over his shoulder back at her, a slender eyebrow raised. "Well not anymore."

"Just how old are you!" She felt a cold flash sting her back at the thought that she could be traveling with a pedophile. After all, she was completely satisfied of the concept of traveling with another teen. That would have been appropriate. Maybe she could catch up with Black; disguise herself as a boy and join Black's band as a violist.

"I'm 19 years old," N said calmly as Zorua began shifting into the forms of other Pokémon on his head.

White closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. N slowed his pace to walk besides her; an amused smirk planted itself on his face as he shoved his hands into his pockets. His eyes closed for a moment as a pleasant breeze shoved his bangs to the side gently. "And you?"

The brunette smiled at how his hair seemed to dance on the wind, just like Black's spikes used to. "I'm 16. I turn 17 next March." Her eyes dulled. What if she wasn't able to celebrate her birthday with Black this year? Without a doubt, they'd both be busy with their own affairs. Turning into a Pokémon Caretaker took _a lot_ of studying—thankfully she was good at school work—and being a celebrity in training simply took a lot of time and energy out of you. Oh well. They'd make it work. It was only one day, and it wasn't coming around anytime soon. "What about you?"

N let out a deflated sigh before taking a hand out of his pocket to scratch at the back of his neck, his calm eyes quirking upwards in Zorua's direction. "Do you remember when my birthday is Zorua?"

With a quick roll of her eyes, White angled her body in order to observe N's face as they continued walking. When Zorua made eye-contact with his friend, the lime haired male's eyes began to turn a stormy, dark, grey. With this silent exchange, White noted down that this was how N made a mental connection with other Pokémon in order to "speak" with them.

Zorua scoffed and grunted before snapping his head to the side to bite at his plush mane. N turned his eyes back to White, and it seemed as if a mini storm was breaking apart in his eyes as the mental connection slowly faded. "My birthday's on the 24th of December."

"You honestly had to ask him that?" She pointed precariously in the dark fox's direction.

"Yes…" N muttered as an embarrassed blush dusted his cheeks lightly. He diverted his gaze to the side, his jaw clenching. "My family isn't very big on birthdays. We don't celebrate it."

"You've never celebrated your birthday." White repeated this nonchalantly. She needed to repeat it back to herself in order to understand what he said. She still didn't understand. "All right then…"

After a moment, N sighed and ran a hand down his face before turning to White with an urgent tone. "I'm not saying I've never celebrated my birthday—my family only celebrates birthdays for the younger children. They stop when you turn ten, and after that, it's easy to forget. After every year, you just know you're one year older. We don't pay specific attention to the dates."

White nodded and rubbed at her neck for a second before wrapping her arms around Lillipups' body. "Black and I love to celebrate our birthdays. We do the same things every year, and never get tired of it." She looked over at N to see if he was still interested in the conversation. She hated drawling on when people didn't care. He glanced back at her and nodded lightly for her to continue. "We would hang out with Cheren and Bianca every year also—they're my best friends. Going swimming is the first priority since my birthday is in the spring and Blacks' birthday is in the summer. It would be a shame to not go swimming, right?"

"When you like at it that way," N replied as he placed Zorua down on the ground next to him. An amused smile caught his lips as he turned back to White. "It would be a waste."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," White said quickly in order for him to remain quiet for the next part of what she was going to say. "We'd go into the forest and have a picnic with a lot of ice-cream. Sweet Arceus, I adore ice-cream! So it's a must. It wouldn't be a birthday without it."

"Don't birthdays usually have cake?"

She contemplated this for a second, tapping her chin in the process with a difficult pout. "I guess so. Nuvema Town has the worst cakes though. Ugh, never try them."

"Well now I'm tempted," N said devilishly with a smirk.

A wide smiled filled White's lips as she socked N's shoulder playfully. "Looks like you got a little of Nuvema Town's standard daredevil trait in you."

"Standard daredevil trait?"

The look on his face nearly drove her to the point of laughing. "Everyone from Nuvema has a bit of roughish blood in them. Don't ask me why. Even my friend Cheren—he's kind of a goody two shoes by the way—has a bit of a bad boy side. My brother Black though has it real bad though."

N smiled at that, and White decided that a smirk and a smile could transform his looks into something completely different. When he smirked, he seemed like one of those bad boys that your mother would always warn you to stay away from. Yet that smile was from the sort of guy you would want to take home to meet your parents.

"I'll get you some of that nasty cake for your birthday, okay?"

He laughed and nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it. For your birthday, I'll make sure that you get your beloved ice-cream, tenfold!"

"Now you're talking!" White cheered as she clapped him on the back, her own hearty chuckle leaking through. "Where are we headed now then?"

* * *

><p>The area began to grow foggier and White frowned as her visual senses began to decrease. Stocky, crumbled stairways met the duo causing White to hesitate at the unsteady passageway. The stairway had to of been hundreds of years old, and one misplaced step could send another crack straight through it. She didn't want that fault on her back either. The press would push down on her again like they did two years ago, and Arceus knew she didn't want that. "N, where are we going? Oshawott? Pidove? C'mere!"<p>

"I'm right here," N said as he handed a wary Oshawott over to White. "Oshawott took a short break over by a tree."

"Oshawott!" White cried in disbelief as Lillipup barked at Oshawott who suddenly appeared in his face due to N's passing. "Um…put her on my shoulder or something, N. Is that okay, Oshawott?"

"Oshawott!"

"…Where's your shoulder?" N said.

The fog was becoming unbelievably thick now and White unlatched one of her arms from around Lillipup to grasp around for N. It took a moment of twirling and robotic movements to finally snatch onto N's top shirt. She tugged on it and drew herself closer to him to assure him that she was now in his bubble and he'd better deal with it. N estimated as to where White's shoulder was from where her hand was positioned on his shirt. Since Oshawotts' eyes were sharper, she instantly latched onto Whites' shoulder and pulled herself up to sit in the slender curve of her neck.

White reached up to pat Oshawotts' leg, releasing a relieved sigh in the process. "Thanks N; do you know where Pidove is?"

Pidove instantly flew toward White and hovered near her. "Pidove." She nodded a bit and motioned with her head in the direction of the stairway.

"Ah, there she is," N said as he pulled White forward by her wrist. "It's alright. Just be careful where you step. We don't want to slip on any loose gravel. By the way, we are now entering The Dreamyard. A Pokémon named Munna and its evolved form, Musharna, live in this area. I want to show you how they are, in case somebody asks you to take care of one—when you have your degree and all. They like to be active during the night mostly, so I thought it'd be best if we just wait until then. Here's a tip, they get frightened easily and emit a sort of mist or fog just to make people think twice upon entering this area" N smiled and stopped on a pair of stairs to look at White in the eyes. "It's quite clever, wouldn't you agree?"

The brunette took a moment to breathe before turning to N with acknowledging eyes. "It's genius. I swear, sometimes I think Pokémon are smarter than us humans."

"That's because they are smarter," N's grip on her wrist tightened as he led her up the flight of stairs. "We're really stupid creatures."

"I think you're pretty smart," White offered as they reached the top of hill. A dirt path opened up in front of them as the trees stayed obediently to the side as to avoid causing confusion amongst different trainers. Trees and fogs didn't mix well when it came to a sense of direction.

N glanced at her and let her hand drop as he began to walk along the broken metal fence that separated them from the ruins of an old town. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes with an unbelieving smile. "I appreciate that. But I'm no better. Knowledge is just a tool, and we know nothing of it. Pokémon know how to use it for the better. All we humans do is take up space, and enslave. That is all our knowledge consists of."

"I take my compliment back then," White said teasingly as she reached for N's elbow through the thick fog. "I never meant we are smarter than Pokémon, I meant—ugh never mind. You're such a tool."

A chuckle erupted from N's mouth as he acknowledged White with an eyebrow raised. "A what?"

"A tool, Mr. Smarty-pants," White said sharply as she turned her head quickly to the side so that N didn't see the twitch at the corner of her mouth, threatening to make her smile. "Don't ask me to describe what that means either."

As they entered the Dreamyards' abandoned garden, Pidove flew down to an Irish-green patch of grass with an excited caw. Oshawott squealed and hopped down from Whites' arms to join Pidoves' romp around the plush grass. Lillipup squirmed in Whites' arms and barked up at her pleadingly to let him down.

"Okay, okay," White grumbled like a seasoned mother. As soon as White set him on the ground, he jetted off in the direction of his two friends. With her hands on her hips, White shook her head lightly and pouted. "What am I going to do with them?"

"Pokémon love healthy grass. When they come into contact with it, it feels like a really good massage," N smiled at her before asking Zorua mentally. _"Would you like to join them?"_

_"Yeah, right. I don't play! I fight! And if that OTTER WOULD JUST BATTLE WITH ME, I'D BE HAPPY! But noooo, she just wants to spend all her time sitting on her fat, child-bearing hips!"_

_"Be nice Zorua…"_

_"N, get off your cloud."_

_"You first Zo-zo…"_

_"SCREW YOU!"_

"**N**?"

N blinked for a bit before responding to White's questioning with a disoriented. "Huh?"

"You want to go sit down for a bit? We've been walking for a long time. Give Zorua a chance to run around, he looks so tense."

The tall male felt his eyebrow twitch. He knew if his friends were restless or not. He was not an oblivious trainer who knew nothing of how his friends felt. Ah well, she was just exaggerating in order to persuade him to sit down and chat with her. For a minute, N pondered why he was so tense with himself and Pokémon. "Alright then, go ahead and stretch Zorua." Zorua nodded and transformed into a bigger version of Pidove. With his new abilities at hand Zorua flapped off and immediately challenged Pidove to a race, of which, she eagerly accepted.

* * *

><p>The area around the garden was becoming less foggy, so N and White could see each other with more clarity. The sun managed to cast a circular light-ray through the thick tufts of the fog, so that a ring of light shined on the healthy grass. White and N sat down on the spot and chatted for two hours. The topics ranged from Pokémon, to favorite foods; from embarrassing moments to their siblings embarrassing moments.<p>

During those few hours, White found out that N was an educated comedian. The little jokes he left in certain places where so subtle that even the most eloquent scholar would roll right over them, but when you caught those little snippets, you would be roaring on the floor with laughter.

During those few hours, N found out a new sense of humor through White. Perverted humor. The first few jokes she said, she was only greeted with blank stares. And every time she failed to make him chuckle, she felt as if she had failed a secret mission. She was the comedian everywhere, and when people were down, they would always look to her for a good laugh. There were cases where some people would even go so far as to call her for a session of laughs.

N quickly caught onto to these jokes and soon roared along with her. Though it wasn't "textbook humor"—as she so called it—it still made him chuckle. If his father or his goddesses had seen him at that moment, they wouldn't believe their eyes. N never laughed back at the castle, but around White, he was busting a gut every few moments. When he first left the castle, a world was opened. A world of laughter.

When he was 7 years old, he was rummaging through one of the medical textbooks left in his study room. (**A/N Yes, I imagine they drilled poor N with studies since a young age. Therefore in this story he's a motherluvin' genius) **the moment he read that not-laughing was scientifically proven to shorten your life-span, he was frightened. He forced himself to laugh from that moment on, but it began to hurt his throat so he just stopped all together.

"You know a lot about Pokémon stuff, huh?"

N was lying on his back while staring up at the darkening sky. He twiddled a daisy absently in-between his thumb and forefinger. "I grew up with them, so the information came naturally I guess."

White was pressed against his side to warm herself since she had been lying on the moist, cool grass the whole time. The brunette was sprawled out on her stomach as she played with the fur on Zoruas' back and neck. Her hair drifted onto N's face at various moments and his only reaction would be to blow it away lightly.

Oshawott, Pidove, Lillipup, and Zorua were huddled around the group, chatting quietly amongst each other. And it just so fell that Zorua had a fantastic sense of humor, so the group cracked up laughing at random moments.

"That's so cool. I never really hanged out with Pokémon until I was 14. I thought it was so cool though when I was younger. But my mom was the kind of mom to always say, 'It's too dangerous, blah, blah'."

N's lips curled upward slightly as a star shot across the sky quickly. "What was your mother like?"

"My mom?" White tapped her chin and rolled back and forth on her stomach to nudge N along with her playfully. "My mom…didn't like crying. She wouldn't have it if I cried. Er…she loved my Dad a lot, so when he left, she was a bit robotic. Black grew angry at her so much, that she became even more depressed and gave up eating. That's how she passed. Oops, that didn't really answer your question. She was motherly and all, a bit lazy in cooking, cleaning, teaching, walking, eating, and the basics. But she gave me so much respect…like I was her age and I was just one of her friends. I really like that."

N closed his eyes and sighed as he felt a shaking hand grip onto his clothing. Slowly, he allowed his eyes to swivel over to glance at White. Her side bangs fell across her face as she rested her head on top of her right arm. For a minute, N though she was going to cry, but when he felt her hand still, he knew she had calmed herself. "I'm sorry about your mother."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, N," White said with a smile as she rolled over to be on her back. At the sight of her shirt, White growled and rolled her eyes. "My shirt is ruined by this grass. Darn you pigments!"

N laughed and passed the flower over to White. She took it cautiously and twirled it in her fingers just as he had done. "What was your mom like, N?"

"I don't remember much. She left after Wally became sick."

"Oh…I'm sorry," She didn't question anymore about it. "I'm hungry…"

"Me too," N mimicked in her voice.

White pinched his side causing him to squirm a bit on the grass. "Ah, jeez White. Hands to yourself!"

"Keep your voice to yourself. Mimicking is _my _thing!"

"What do you mean by that?" N asked curiously as he turned his head to the side to glance at White.

White winked at him and imitated his earlier conversation perfectly in _his _voice. "I have a weird talent to imitate people and Pokémon exactly. I used to prank people so much by imitating their elders or lovers or something…"

"You're kind of like a Chatot," N said happily before sitting upright to face her seriously. White copied his action and sat with her legs crossed in front of him. His face grew serious as he continued talking, "I've never told anyone this about a Pokémon before…" He leaned in and so did White as he cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered into her ear smoothly. "You're like a Chatot, but you're not annoying. Don't tell anyone I said that about a Pokémon!"

He pulled back and mused at the look of White's dumbfounded look and parted lips. Soon, her face started to go through the different stages of confused, dizzy, shocked, frustrated, angry, and lastly a bit humored. During the exchange of expressions White was going through, N found himself laughing himself into a fit.

"N Harmonia!" White boomed, desperately trying to frown, but his smile was too contagious. "I thought it was something…like…serious! A conversation is like lasagna! You don't just slap a layer of serious cheese on first! I thought you were going to tell me some life-threatening secret or something!"

"BAH-HA-HA-HAA!"

No one ever scared White. No one. She lunged at him and held his face still in between her hands as she glared into his eyes. "You better be quiet! I take secrets seriously!" N's hands moved to her hips in an attempt to pull her off of him because it hurt to laugh with someone on top of you. Her grip on his face was too harsh though and whenever N would tug at her hips, she would tug on his face. "N! Calm down for a minute."

"…."

N huffed out a few breaths and was left with a goofy smile on his face. White's grip lessened and she sighed also, her bangs falling into her eyes. After a moment, White stared him in the eyes and growled out. "It wasn't even that funny…"

"…..BAH-HA-HA-HAA!"

The tugging of her hips and his face resumed.

* * *

><p>"Take one down…pass it around…27 bottles of Miltank-milk on the wall~" White glanced down at N and sighed. He was still asleep. It was now pitch black, but luckily, it was warm and humid now so there was no need for a jacket. She had been lying on top of him for the past 2 hours and she wanted <em>off<em>. His chest and torso was muscled and firm, so basically, it felt like she had been plopped down on a rock. The sky was lit up brightly due to the moon reflecting the suns light, and the stars seemed to streak often with intense colors of yellow, blue, and orange. "Pidove, can't you sleep?"

Pidove shook her head slowly and miserably tried to close her eyes before opening her eyes again and stretching. She felt awful, and that warm circle including Lillipup, Zorua, and Oshawott seemed so enticing for a good rest that she felt envious. But she couldn't sleep. Something was wrong around this area, and she wouldn't be able to sleep until she found out just what it was.

"What's wrong Pidove?"

Alas, someone finally understood her! Pidove hopped up onto her feet quickly and motioned with one of her wings in the direction of one of the decaying, abandoned houses that stood sullenly in the far corner of the enclosure. Something was in there. Possibly, someone who needed them, and she knew that White would never say no to someone who needed help. Lowering her pitch to a _piano _oriented tone she whispered over to White. "_Pi-Pidove…"_

It clicked instantly that Pidove wanted White to follow her. N was a heavy sleeper, but he was a possessive sleeper. Believe what you will, but White definitely tried to move away from her sleeping friend, but every time she moved, his arms would slink around her to hold her down. After the second try, she gave up. _Okay, okay, I'm your personal blanket I understand. If I was asleep, I wouldn't want my only source of warm moving either._

But N had looked _so _tired, and if she woke him up, she would feel so guilty. She looked toward her sleeping group of Pokémon and Zorua. Zorua. "Pst, Zorua?"

Zorua instantly perked up and glanced over at White sleeping on top of his friend. **_What the hell?_**

**"**Zor?"

White winced, he sounded grouchy, and she knew he wouldn't resist taking a piece of meat out of her thigh. She glanced down at N noticeably with her eyes before looking up at Zorua. Then she thought of Bianca's starter Pokémon. When it was cute. She swallowed before speaking. "_Tepig~"_

Pidove and Zorua were aghast. Holy crap. That sounded exactly like a real Tepig.

The dark fox Pokémon caught onto what she was implying and shifted into Tepig. This was one of his easier transformations since he had mastered this particular anatomy when he was younger. This was going to have to be a quick process, so Zorua/Tepig stood readily besides N slumbering body. White tapped on the ground, knowing that Zorua would be able to sense the vibrations. _1—2—3! _White rolled of gently and Zorua sprang on lightly, as to not jolt N awake by a sudden explosion on his stomach.

N's arms wrapped automatically around Zorua's small, muscly, build. Zorua purred contently and instantly hoped that Oshawott hadn't heard his purr. That would have been embarrassing. But that bird was definitely going to black-mail him with this later on. Joy.

Pidove laughed at his demise before flapping up to rest on White's shoulder. "PI-PI-PI-PIDOVE!"

"SHHHH!" White said urgently as she clamped her Pokémon's beak shut. "You'll wake up what we have been trying to keep asleep!" Pidove bowed her head in apology and nodded in the direction of the house.

"Thanks, Zorua," White whispered as she sprinted off in the direction of the house.

Zorua nodded and rested his head against N's chest. They always used to nap or sleep together, and he was secretly grateful for this moment of peace with his friend. Ever since N had been crowned King, they hadn't been able to spend as much time together as they had used to.

_Maybe it won't be a complete waste of time to help this girl after all…_

"Hello?" White called out softly as she rapped on the chipped and broken doorframe of the abandoned house like formation. "Is anyone here?"

"Pidove?"

After a moment of silence, White smoothed Pidoves chest feathers with the knuckle of her index finger. "Maybe we should head back Pidove…Oh my goodness it's really hot in here huh?" White wiped at her nose which she cursed hourly during the summer since her nose seemed to sweat a lot for barely a reason.

Pidove shook her head furiously and fluttered down to ground; her claws stretching out and snapping into the earth with each step she took. After a moment of glaring into the darkness that loomed beyond the arch of light that glazed through the doorway, Pidove cawed loudly. "PIDOVE?"

"Pan?"

White stiffened and unconsciously took a step back, causing Pidove to glance back quickly at White disappointedly before turning back to where the sound came from.

The voice was dull and a bit transparent as it repeated. "Pansear?"

Pidoves' eyes softened as she hopped closer to the darkness. "Pi-Pi~"

With a groan, a crimson /blonde primate like Pokémon stepped closer. Its eyes were glazed over and its nearly invisible lips were pressed tightly together as it held a broken Pokéball endearingly in its hands. With choppy robotic movements, he tiredly pressed the two halves of the Pokéball together as if to attempt to somehow make it come together again. At the sight of White, tears grew in the Pokémon's eyes. With a growl of frustration it started to slam the two halves of the capturing device against each other with as much gusto as it could muster. Pidove sadly chirped a request for it to stop.

"Pansear!" It cried back at Pidove. Its eyes were bloodshot and teary as he began to slam the two halves of the Pokéball together. "Pan…" It slammed the halves together again. "Pan-Pan…" It began to grind the two against each other, which only produced plastic remains to fall slowly to the ground. "Pansear…" More tears built up in its eyes as it started sobbing. _His _arms moved lethargically slow now as sobs came crashing out of his mouth. He threw the broken capturing device near White's feet. She only stared at the decomposed ball as Pansear drilled holes into his hands with his eyes. With a cry of frustration, pain, sadness, and guilt, he tossed himself towards White's feet and sobbed as he gathered the Pokéball halves into his arms. "Pansear…Pansear…Pan-sear-sear…"

Placing a finger solemnly to her lips, White cocked her eyebrows at Pidove before bending down smoothly to gather Pansear into her arms. Automatically, he looped his arms around her neck, his broken home still in the tight grasp of his hands. With her arms securely supporting his compact form, she made her way back to N. As Pansear cried, White whispered to him about completely random, happy things.

"Do you like trees, Pansear?" White asked softly as they rounded the corner with Pidove flying soundly besides White.

Another sob broke through Pansear as he nodded his head quickly before rubbing his head in the crook of her arms.

"I used to climb trees all the time with my little brother. Do you like to climb trees?"

Pansear sniffed and shifted in her arms before nodding. With his heavy, warm breath permeating against her cold skin, White began to feel drowsy. "If you stop crying Pansear…"

Pansear stiffened and shifted his head to gaze at White with wide, glistening, onyx eyes. "Pan?"

"I'll get you a big candy bar. I have it with me right now. Is that a deal?" White knew how to deal with crying people or Pokémon. If distracting didn't work, bribing was a close second. Black was good practice for White, since he used to cry even if he tripped on carpet. _Carpet_. White groaned mentally at the thought.

The fire type Pokémon tilted his head adorably to the side in contemplation before nodding. "Pansear-sear."

"Okay then," White murmured, dropping her pitch. Pidove landed quietly on the grass besides her group of sleeping friends. With a high pitched yawn, Pidove cuddled in close to Oshawott who barely opened one eye to mew in welcome before shifting to another spot to allow Pidove in the circle of warmth. "Pansear, you have to be quiet because my friend is sleeping," White motioned to N with a free arm.

Pansear nodded obediently as White managed to plop herself down on the ground with making a sound. The grass was so incredibly cold and wet that White had to bite her lip to keep from gasping at the sudden change of temperature. After placing Pansear on the ground in front of her, White began to rummage through her satchel before successfully coming upon a king-sized chocolate bar.

"Here you go, a Milly-Monka Chocolate bar," White whispered as she languidly peeled back the wrapper without making a sound.

(**A/N My lame attempt at a willy-wonka bar? I've never had one. But the Milly-Monka is like…a Miltank reference and junk :B)**

As soon as the she handed the bar over to Pansear, he began to divulge with great urgency on the creamy chocolate. White smiled at how fast he ate. It reminded her of Black.

_I miss him already_; White sighed and ran a hand down her face. Pansear instantly snapped his gaze up to look at White apologetically before breaking a part of the candy off to hand to her.

"Thank you," White said with a smile as she placed the chocolate soundly on her tongue to allow the flavor to melt and spread around her mouth. "Sweet Arceus I love chocolate~"

Noticing that the primate like Pokémon had set down the broken Pokéball besides his feet, White began to think over the scenario. Pokéballs created a bond between a Pokémon and their trainer. _Okay, so Pansear previously had an owner_, White noted silently as Pansear took another successful chomp out of the bar. _A trainer wouldn't leave their Pokémon abandoned in a Dreamyard…a monster would. His home is broken, and so is the bond they shared. _White frowned and turned to look N who was still sleeping soundly. _Maybe he had a point when he said Pokéballs were just harmful objects…_

She could take him to a Pokémon Center to get the broken Pokéball detached from his bond. But then what? He would be by himself, and he made no objection when she had picked him up. He was used to human contact that was for sure, so if she released him, he would probably feel even more abandoned.

Pansear folded the candy wrapper neatly and licked his lips. Stalking forward on his knuckles and feet, he placed the remains gently on White's lap. "Pan~"

White sighed and patted his head. "Pansear…In the morning, I'm going to take you to a Pokémon Center."

His eyes widened a bit as he asked discouragingly. "Pan-Pan?"

"I don't want you to have to worry about that," She pointed to his broken home. "You'll get sick and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Pansear glanced back at his home before turning back to White defensively, and from his numerous grunts and disconcerted facial expressions, White imagined him to say. _Then what would happen to me then? What about my old friend? What if she comes back to me?_

"Pansear," White soothed softly as she ran her knuckled down his velvety head. "I'm sorry about your owner. But I don't think that they're coming back…"

"Pansear?" A few sparks flew out of his mouth as his jaw dropped in shock.

"I don't want you to have to be alone…so, when I take you to the Pokémon Center, will you like to travel with me, and be my friend?"

He glared back at the Pokéball.

"You don't have to come with me. But if you do come with me, you don't have to be in a Pokéball. You're my friend. Not a pet."

With a relieved sigh, Pansear gathered his broken home in his hands and tossed it far out into the woods. He had a new home now, and who was he to pass up a better home, for his old lousy one?

Glancing back at White, he smiled and nodded.

"Great," White laughed a bit under breath before yawning and rubbing at her eyes. "It's really late…and we have a long day tomorrow. I suggest you cuddle up and get some sleep."

Hesitantly, Pansear glanced over to the group of sleeping Pokémon. White smiled softly, he looked just like Black when he first went to school. Like a Magikarp in a flock of Pidgey's.

"Alright then Pansear, you can sleep besides N and me."

White scooted on her bum closer to N until their bodies where touching. His warm body heat sent warm ripples of pleasure up her cold, bear legs. Lying down awkwardly on back, White arranged herself so that her torso and chest were pressed up against his side. With a gently sigh, White leaned her head forward against N's warm arm. Pansear noticed a sort of gap between White's torso and N's side, so he took the opportunity to leap in between them. Instantly, White felt warm all over and thanked Arceus that she now had a friend to literally warm up her life, along with N.

* * *

><p>A rubbery surface began to rub itself on N's cheek causing him to growl lightly and turn to the side, his arms wrapping around something warm and small in the process. Faintly, he heard Zorua growl, as if he had been tossed off and replaced by something else. Oh well, no harm was caused, so who was he to worry. The rubbing repeated, but this time, on the back of his head. N groaned and tightened his grip on the pleasantly warm figure beside him. Why was the grass so cold?<p>

As soon as he had tightened his arms around the soft entity, it groaned in annoyance. "N?"

"Hmm?" Came his automatic response as he cracked one of his eyes open to gaze down at White. White?

"Do you mind loosening up a bit, you have a really hard grip and it's kind of hurting."

"Sorry," N muttered as tried to slip his arms up from White's waist. While his arms were running up her body, his right arm lodged into her neck. "Can you raise your neck a bit?"

"No," White said curtly as she folded her arms against her side to condense the warmth in her limbs. "It's like a have a pillow now. Thank you~"

N smirked and allowed his left arm to remain loose on her waist. He always was extremely lazy in the mornings.

"Munna?"

**_Inside a Pokémon's Mind_**

**"N you're back! Oh my goodness did I ruin a special moment just now?"**

**"A special moment of sleep more like it," N replied teasingly. "How have you been, Munna?"**

**Munna cheered and floated over N's head, leaving a trail of pink of mist. She must have eaten his dream when he was asleep. He didn't remember it. White had fallen asleep and was gently snoring with her head propped up on his muscled arm. He didn't mind, but now he wished he had a pillow since his neck was aching fiercely. **

**Plopping herself onto White's head, Munna blinked sheepishly. **

**"Musharna has been patronizing me a lot lately. Can you tell her what for? It's getting on my nerves."**

**"Well what does she keep scolding you for?"**

**"Well…there's not a lot of berries right?" Munna asked, gaining a nod from N. "We always take turns gathering what we can, and when it was meal time, I ate one too many berries and now I have the whole family mad at me!"**

**N smiled a bit and closed his eyes. It was still too early for anything that involved him. "I'll have to see what I can do. You ate my dream right?"**

**"We don't get many guests, so when I saw you dreaming, I just had to! I wouldn't pass that free food up for anything."**

**"So that's why I woke up already," N mused as he studied White's face silently. "Is it okay if I fall asleep right now, Munna?"**

**"Alright, alright, I got it. You want some alone time with her. It's all good. Just put a good word into Musharna for me. I'll leave you and your friend alone. Wait—don't you have a fiancé, N?"**

**"Yeah I do," N said quickly, turning to look at Musharna directly. "White is just a friend. I don't fool around."**

**Munna laughed and began to float away. "You seem pretty foolish right now~"**

**_Out of a Pokémon's Mind_**

White glared at the plump Munna that began to float away. "I feel like a balloon was rubbed really hard against my head…"

N blinked slowly before closing his eyes once more. "I'm really tired."

"Well you slept for a really long time," White reasoned as she stretched her thighs. "I don't see why you should be tired still."

"Me neither," N replied tiredly as his head unconsciously bonked forward to hit White's forehead.

"OUCH!" White whined as she pulled herself away from N. Rolling her shoulders around, White glanced toward Zorua and her group of Pokémon. "Good morning guys."

"Sorry," N said halfheartedly as he rolled over onto the space that White had slept on. Sweet Arceus, it was nice and warm.

Oshawott and Pidove greeted White warmly while Lillipup and Zorua just nodded at her before turning back to their conversation. Pansear on the other hand gave White a thumbs up before walking confidently over toward Oshawott with a gentle smile. White smiled, he was already fitting in. She turned her head to her lime-haired companion. Noticing that N had rolled over onto his stomach and was now snoring quite loudly, White aimed a punch toward the center of his back. "Wake up! I'll buy you some coffee or something, just get up already."

"Fine," N grunted before pushing himself up onto his knees. After a long rub to his eyes, N gave White a sheepish smile. "Good morning?"

* * *

><p>"Here you go," White said grouchily as she shoved a warm styro-foam cup of coffee into N's hands.<p>

"Thank you," N replied happily as held it in his cold hands carefully. Zorua hopped up to where N sat and sniffed the cup hesitantly before scrunching up his nose.

Plopping herself down on the bench, White began to rummage through the plastic bag.

N sipped his coffee and leaned his head all the way back so that his head was supported by the building behind them. Closing his eyes gently, he heard White snap open a couple of plastic containers.

"Don't fall asleep on me again, N," White said sternly as she passed a glazed donut to Zorua, Pidove and Lillipup. N opened his eyes obediently but didn't bother to raise his head. After watching White out of the corner of his eyes, White turned to him. "You're burning holes in the side of my face. Do you want a chocolate or glazed donut?"

"Donut?" N glanced down at the container in her lap. "What is made out of exactly?"

"Fried dough. Yes…No-no…yes?" White said impatiently. A mischievous glint came into her eyes as she stole N's voice _exactly _for a moment. "_White, I do believe a glazed donut shall suit my fancies, or, per say, a chocolate shall rather satisfy my sweet tooth. Tea and crumpets and what not~"_

"Chocolate," N said curtly, an amused smile defied his tone of voice. White passed him the donut in a rough napkin before resuming in her task to pass out the pastries to the rest of her Pokémon. "We don't talk like that by the way. I didn't know you were so into stereotypes, White."

White leaned over to pass two chocolate donuts to Oshawott and Pansear. They had major sweet teeth. "Hardy har-har…"

"We don't laugh like that either!"

White unraveled a beige paper bag with a plump baker on it before raising a sarcastic eyebrow at N. "I wasn't imitating you that time. Hah! You made fun of yourself!"

Letting out a small snort of laughter, N took a bite out of the donut. He'd just fallen in love with the most beautiful thing right beside him.

"White…"

"Yeah?" Taking a quick bite out of a donut hole, White turned to look at him with intrigued eyes.

"Do you have any more donuts?" He had a new obsession.

* * *

><p>"I can't challenge the Gym right now," White moaned as she placed her hands on her cheeks in frustration. "Lillipup is too young."<p>

Lillipup snorted and shifted in her arms to rest his head against the upper area of her arm.

"Oshawott is a bit too weak, and I don't want her over-exerting herself in order to keep up," Oshawott nodded understandingly as she tried to match White's steps. White turned to Pidove who was residing calmly on her shoulder. "Pidove may be quick and all…and she's amazing at evading attacks but…Dewott was also—and he still got thrashed by her Watchdog!"

"We're nearing the Pokémon Center," N offered to White and Pansear. The whole group of Pokémon ran forward in excitement at the site of the cheerful building. White sighed and glared a bit at N causing him to slow down and grin contritely at her. "Believe in them. I'll help you train them. My purpose is to help you, will you accept?"

"Of course," White breathed as she grinned at N happily. "Your Zorua is so strong! How'd he get that strong? You'll tell me all your secrets right?" She began to grind her finger into his cheek playfully.

N winced and pulled her finger away before sighing and rubbing his sore cheek. "Of course I'll tell you…Ow—geez White you have to stop with this—I have bruises now."

"Man up!"

He smirked devilishly at her as he stepped closer to loom over her. "I don't think you've see how 'manly' I could be. There's a difference you know."

White swallowed and felt the back of her neck heat up in surprise. The fact that she had to tilt her head all the way back to look at him didn't help either. "A difference in what?"

He grinned. "Being a man," He took her wrist in his hand began to pull her along to the Pokémon Center. At the entrance, N turned to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "And being a gentleman."

"Ah, Pansear should be conscious free now, thank you and have a nice day," Nurse Joy said happily as she patted Pansear on the head. "Here's he synopsis so you can see the moves that he knows and such."

"Thank you," White said absently as she scanned the list quickly.

Pansear hooked his arms around her neck and nuzzled her lightly as they began to exit the medical center.

"I'm so glad we could shower and change clothes," White murmured as she shivered. Her grip on the paper tightened as she closed her eyes against the cold wind.

N nodded and gently took the paper from her clenched hand as she took the chance to zip up her jacket. White shivered once more as she began to slide on her hoodie. With a smile, N murmured in her ear. "You look tough."

"I do?" White glanced down at the hair that spilled over her shoulders. With the hood in place, it seemed logical that she would look tougher. "I guess…what does the paper say?"

Subtly, N pulled his crimson scarf closer to his mouth as he began to scan the paper quickly. "It seems that Pansear is your strongest friend so far. He knows the move—" N paused and glanced towards White who nodded at him to continue. "He knows Flame Burst, Bite, Yawn, and Fury Swipes. Wow, those are pretty advanced."

"Really?" White inquired as she leaned in closer to glimpse at the paper.

N grunted in affirmation as he tilted the paper in White's direction.

"That's great," White said felicitously as she patted Pansear on the head in pride.

Pansear chattered into White's ear quietly as he played with the loose strands of hair that escaped her hoodie.

As the wind blew harder, White flinched against N's side. Stuffing her freezing hand into the crevice of N's elbow, White sent him an apologetic grin. "Did you know elbows are really warm?"

"Yes, actually," N said with a chuckle as he straightened out his black and grey striped jacket. "Any more interesting facts?"

"No. Aren't you supposed to be the one to give me all the interesting tips and tricks?"

"Ah, you can't give me all the fun," N murmured as he nudged her softly. "I inhale knowledge like a vacuum."

"Like how you inhale dough-nuts?" White quipped sharply.

N snapped his fingers and smirked at her. "Exactly."

"So what do we do now?"

"We have to train and get your Pokémon ready for the battle with Lenora." N replied.

White bit back a groan. "We do?"

"Yes, if you want the Pokémon you care for to obey you," He eyed her quietly. "It's training, not battling."

"So they won't get hurt?"

"Only in battles," N answered. White flinched but knew that what he was saying was true. Getting away unscathed was a lucky thing. "For training, I think it'd be best to go to the Gym."

"And we use the fighting area there?"

N nodded and ruffled his hair, of which kept falling limp in his eyes. "It's especially calm there. The fighting area is—"

"A library," White finished. A complaisant smile caught N's eyes as he grunted in amusement. "I'm game for it."

Oshawott nodded and so did Zorua.

"Oshawott?" The otter Pokémon held out her tiny non opposable paw.

Zorua shifted into a Dewott and shook her paw. Oshawott gulped at the evolved form of herself but managed to drag out a—uneasy—smile. "Dewott."

Pidove simply sniffed and took to the air slowly as she coasted the way over to the Gym.

"Can you hold Lillipup really quick?" White asked N as she felt a strong vibration on her thigh.

"Sure," N conceded as he gently took the young Pokémon into his arms.

Reaching into her jeans pocket, White pulled out the grass green X-transceiver. Snapping open the screen, she came face to face with the younger, male image of herself.

**"Hello?"**

"Hey, Black?"

**"I miss you so much right now," **Black said slowly as he leveled the communicating device with his face. A group of rambunctious boys surrounded Black as they tried to get a look at who the brunet was chatting with. **"Geez guys—hey don't touch my stuff, Sam! Dante can you do something about him touching my things? Sorry about that White…"**

**_"Hey Black is that your girlfriend?"_**

Black frowned as he yelled over his shoulder to a boy who was jumping on the bed in an antsy fashion. **"No what is wrong with you? I'm talking with my sister—you're jumping on my bed! Go jump on your own!"**

White laughed at Black's obvious anxiety and chimed in soothingly. "Are they bothering you, Black?"

Black groaned and smiled back playfully. **"Nah, they're growing on me." **Leaning in closer to the screen he whispered. **"I'm having a lot of fun."**

**_"We know you are," _**A blonde haired boy said nonchalantly as he walked across the back of the screen, wearing only a towel to cover himself up. **_"Tell your sister we have a concert coming up soon."_**

**"No derr Sherlock, I was going to tell her that now!" **Black snapped.** "Put some clothes on too…YOU HIPPY!"**

The blonde haired boys' shoulder twitched before he threw a nearby slipper towards Black's head. **_"Watch it -Spikes! At least my hair is real!"_**

Black smiled apologetically toward White before snapping around in his chair to throw the slipper back at the blond. **"My spikes are all real, baby! If I asked your curling iron, I don't believe it would agree with you that your hair is real!"**

The blond groaned and smacked his forehead with his palm before waving in greeting toward White. **_"You're sister is pretty cute, Black. Are you like, adopted because you look nothing like her."_**

Black rolled his eyes before turning around his swivel chair. **_"_Stop checking out my sister you weirdo. Do want to be able to have kids?" **The blond was about to respond when Black cut him off. **"That right so I suggest you shut your fat trap! Sorry about that—again—White."**

White waved him off and smiled at how ecstatic her brother seemed. "You seem really happy, Black! I'm so proud of you, you don't even _know_." Black smiled in spite of himself. "I heard you have a concert or something coming up soon?"

**"It's not exactly a concert," **Black said half-heartedly. **"Just a night-time TV show performance."**

"That's great," White said joyfully, a glint of mirth evident in her eyes. "You don't seem very happy though."

**"Because you won't be able to make it," **Black whined, causing a few of his band mates to chuckle at his disappointment.

"Who says?" White asked rhetorically.

Black rolled his shoulder and sighed before rubbing his face with his hands. **"You're around Nacrene City, right?"**

"I'm _in_ it."

**"Yeah, you are really far away…and I'm all the way in Lacunosa Town."** Black murmured half-heartedly.

**_"It's haunted~" _**A blue-haired male crowed from behind Black's chair, earning him a smack to the back of the head.

**"Stay out of this Jared!" **

"Hi Jared," White called out, much to her younger brother's dismay.

**_"Hey White, I've heard a lot about you!" _**The oceanic haired singer said as he leaned in closer to the monitor. **_"How are you?"_**

"I'm all right," White replied pleasantly before frowning at Pansear who began to chew on her hair. "Stop it Pansear—how are you?"

**_"I'm all right, but taking care of your brother is really hard work. He keeps flirting with all the fans~"_**

"What, he only arrived around yesterday?" White scowled before looking at Black who was now sweat-dropping. "What's the meaning of this, Black?"

Black held up his free hand and shrugged innocently, his eyes widening. **"I swear White; I haven't even met a fan yet. No one knows who I am yet. You've drilled into me how to treat a girl anyways, White. I'm not going to go around flirting like Jared here."**

**_"Hey~ Better use it or you'll lose it," _**Jared retorted, his golden eyes gleaming furiously.

**"I really hope you don't mean your sacred flower," **Black drawled lowly, a blush adorning his cheeks as he avoided eye contact with White.

**_"'Sacred Flower'?" _**Jared guffawed before turning around to look at the rest of the group that was lounging around the hotel room. **_"Did you hear that guys? Sacred Flower…HAHAHA! I sense that's going to be the name of a new song~"_**

The boys whooped in agreement, causing Black to blush.

"Well if you're in Lacunosa Town already, how did you get there?"

**"I took a train," **Black answered questioningly. **"I basically had to run through the Nacrene Town Gym and then all the way to Castelia City to take the train there. I challenged the Gym there too of course."**

"I'm going to be at your performance," White said defiantly, causing Black to smile a bit. "I'll be at every single one. I promise."

**"You always keep your promises. Even if it kills you."**

White sighed and sweat-dropped. "Dear Arceus, I hope it doesn't kill me. You haven't been making any promises you can't keep…right Black?"

**"I made one promise to the group. To sing with all my heart, and that's an easy promise to keep."**

"White, it's 2 o' clock, the Gym closes at 7," N said softly as he took White's hand in his to lead her away. It was getting colder, and her hands proved it.

"Alright, alright," White murmured back before turning to her brother. "Are you keeping warm? I bet it's really cold up north."

**"You know it," **Black groaned. His cheeks were tinted pink, along with his nose. He must have heard N's voice. **"If he bothers you, you'll tell me right?"**

"Black, don't be like that," White uttered condescendingly, causing Black to blush more. "N's really nice, and I would like it if you guys would just—Never mind I don't care. But I'll be at your show recording, thing-a-ma-bober. Okay?"

**"If you could make it, I would be UBER HAPPY!" **Black yelled.

**_"Black be quiet, some of us like to take naps, yeah?" _**The blond haired singer called from, on top of the bed, as his hand rose lazily.

**"SHUDDAP SAM! I'm trying to talk with my sister…" **Black scoffed before laughing a bit, along with the rest of the group. **"I can't wait to see you again. I'll see you soon, hopefully, okay?"**

"Alright Black, I'll let you go then," White sighed slowly and waved at Black as he did the same. "I love you so much, Black."

**"I love you more—hey you guys shut-up! When you guys say bye to your mom it's completely sappy! Ah, bye White."**

Clicking the X-transceiver's end button, White stuffed the phone like instrument into her pocket.

N glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, a smirk playing at his lips. "I'm sorry for interrupting your call."

White sniffed and snapped her head away, a light glare settled onto her usually mellow features. "I know you don't like Black, and I know you're not sorry, so stop playing."

"Sorry," N repeated, his voice clipped a bit.

An emotional punch shot itself toward her heart. _Why do I always have to feel extra bad?_

"Sorry for snapping," White purled as she tugged at her curls with her free hand.

N shook his head and squeezed her hand in acceptance. "It's all right. If I ever talk to you in a rude manner, don't take it to heart all right? I don't want you to be hurt because of my words."

"Is that even possible?" White teased as Pidove landed on her shoulder. "You're too nice for your own good."

A frown suddenly crossed N's lips quickly, but not quick enough to go unnoticed by White.

"I meant it as a compliment, N."

"Yeah I know," N replied. Flicking his head slightly to rid the bangs out of his eyes, N sighed. "Clara means it in a negative way though."

Blinking abruptly, White turned her head to gaze at N's face. "Who's Clara?"

"My fiancée," N responded. A feeling of guilt bit at his morals as he gazed down at their linked hands. That wasn't appropriate for a soon to be married man, so he immediately let go. "Sorry."

Stuffing her hands into her pockets, White shook her head. "It's alright. You're only 19 though, and you're going to be married? Isn't that a bit soon."

"Not where I come from."

"Where I come from," White stressed. "People marry when they're like…27 and up!"

N chuckled and adjusted his scarf to rest against his frostbitten cheeks that where glowing pink. "That's a pretty precise age to marry. Nuvema Town must have been very cozy…"

"Cozy as in ghetto," White muttered, now trying to put her fingers in her underarms for the warmth that her pockets were not providing. "Nuvema Town is about the worst place to live. I would rather live in White Forest for Arceus's sake! That was not a pun in any way, but I hear that they need a Pokémon Caretaker in that area, so it would benefit me in a way."

"I'll remember that," N said softly as he they neared the entrance of the gym. Pulling back the door for White to walk through, she uttered a silent thank you. "Alright I'll get us a practice room. Go with her, Zorua."

Zorua trotted over to White's side and nodded in the direction of the practice rooms. Pansear patted the side of White's neck and chattered in excitement, causing Pidove to ruffle her feathers in anticipation. Oshawott managed to place the tiny Lillipup on her head as she wobbled her way along with White.

"Oshawott, Lillipup isn't too heavy for you?"

Oshawott shook her head and flexed her biceps. "Oshawott!"

Pidove laughed a bit at the small lump of muscle that rose. Oshawott snapped a growl in Pidove's direction, causing Lillipup to vibrate much to his amusement. "Lilli~"

The dark-colored bird Pokémon snapped her head back, still spluttering her laughs a bit. "Pi—hehhe—Pi~"

Pansear hopped down from his place besides White's head to walk besides Zorua. "Pansear?"

"Zoru," Zorua transfigured into a Pansear also, a smug smirk came onto his lips as he loomed over Pansear. "Pansear?"

Pansear laughed and patted Zorua/Pansear on the back with a grin. "Pan-Pan."

Zorua smiled back—without smirking. Shifting back into a Zorua, the fox Pokémon motioned to the door.

"I got it, I got it," White said unconsciously as she looked down the narrow, wooden hallway. Seeing that nobody was there to say '_No you can't go in that room' _White took the liberty to open the door and usher her Pokémon inside.

The training area was immense, and thankfully, indoors. If it just lead back outside, White would have called it a day. She loved the cold, but sometimes, it just didn't love her. The ground was extremely fertile and wide patches of grass covered the field. A multitude of trees lined the back wall of the area, creating a wide shadow over an area of bare soil. A rooted bench was seen in the direct gaze of the sunlight that permeated through a conveniently placed window. Beside it was a passable green trashcan for anything that needed to be thrown. In other words, it was a perfect place to train.

"It feels really nice in here," N said as he entered the training area, closing the door softly behind him. Pulling on his scarf so that is unraveled, he allowed it to hand down loose over his shoulders. "A bit of a draft, but not too bad."

"I agree," White said as she wisely kept her jacket on. "What do we begin with?"

"Let's begin with you," N responded, much to her surprise. "Do you know your Pokémon's strengths?"

White placed her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one leg. "Yeah I do. Oshawott is fantastic in strength."

Oshawott grinned happily and began to stretch her upper arm muscles. Zorua moved closer to Oshawott and acknowledged her with a nod. "Zoru."

"You'll be with Zorua since his area of expertise is strength also," N said to Oshawott, making sure to kneel down to her level so she wasn't intimidated. White noted that mentally. "Is that okay?"

The otter Pokémon nodded and curled her whiskers quietly as Zorua led her over a pile of rocks. Every time he grunted, she would slash at a tree with her shell until it fell. Three trees for each arm with no breaks in between. They would replace the trees with no problem.

White laughed a bit at the athletic duo before turning to N. "Pidove is extremely good at evasive movements—"

A squawk erupted from a nearby tree causing White to jump a bit and Pidove to accidently tense her nails into White's shoulder.

Tranquil erupted from the tree tops and proceeded to land besides N. N acknowledged him with a pet before turning to White. "I've also raised a Pidove, and my father had my friend sent here. Luckily, he fairs well with evasive movement and speed. We'll have Pidove up to par in no time."

"Thanks for saying _we." _White said with a laugh as she hesitantly stepped forward to the Tranquil. Turning to N with a shy smile that resembled a child's, she asked. "Can I pet him?"

The smile she gave him made N smile so large that he thought he would definitely resemble a Purrloin. "Of course." He didn't think he'd ever be able to say "no" to White. He just didn't have it in him.

Tranquil bowed his head to allow White to pet him. If you thought a Pidove's plumage was soft, you knew absolutely nothing. Tranquil felt like a silky velvet material that you would find at a rich person's material store. To cut things short, Whites' hand was in paradise. "He's so soft!"

"I know," N whispered as he stroked Tranquil's head also.

"You know everything."

That time, it sounded unbelievably sincere. It wasn't her usual tease of how unusually smart he was. It was a natural complement that flowed out of her before she had time to think. She caught onto it a few moments later and felt her nose prickle with sweat at her nervousness. The silence was awkward, but White continued to pet the Tranquil. Right now was a good time to pretend that she was in a daze. "I really admire that about you."

N looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and allowed himself to smirk. If he smiled, he would blush. No one besides his goddesses complimented him, not even Clara. The only compliments he got were on his looks. _Oh N, your hair is envied by the most popular of models_. N snorted at the sorry excuse of a compliment. **Maybe by female models…**

_No my lord, by **all **models~_

**Like that was any better**

And Clara…she was literally obsessed with his face. Every time he saw her, she'd make a remark on how beautifully his hair fell into his eyes. How his hair made his stormy eyes just pop with color. How his high cheekbones and lowered eyelids gave him that brooding bad boy look.

_N you look just like one of the male characters I read in my novels…You're absolutely perfect. You're like Edward Cullen._

That book. The book everyone used to obsess over. No he wasn't an avid hater, but an avid reader. The book was just average but it was rather un-stimulating to his mind. Sure Twilight might have fed the hopeless romantic with loads of love, but for the reader who looked for good literature, it left them feeling empty. Why did people hate it though? He had no clue. He only hated one thing, and that one thing was the kind of thing that came from people who only used Pokémon for statuses and power. Of course when Clara said he looked like Edward Cullen, N felt incredibly shocked. The only thing they most likely had in common was their naturally brooding facial expressions. In his self-observant opinion, his nose was a bit too long for his face and his fingers were scarily long. He was definitely not perfect, and he preferred it that way. Edward Cullen didn't seem so perfect either.

"Thank you," N responded after a moment. The silence came back, but now, it was N's turn to feel awkward, so he said what felt right at the time. "I think you're eyes are captivating. So is your hair—" N allowed himself a once-over of White. She had put on a white head-band that contrasted greatly against her dark brunette locks. She had told him earlier that this was her first time in a while to let her hair remain down. With her hair falling down around her shoulders, it gave her a more elegant look. "Your hair is amazing."

"Thank you," White said with a wide smile. "Don't even let me get started on complimenting your hair—"

"I think your personality is fantastic also!" N clamped his mouth shut and mentally slapped himself. _I went overboard! Ah…this is going to get insanely awkward…_

White froze and allowed herself to laugh a bit at the embarrassed blush that dusted N's cheeks. "Is this going to become a daily thing? Complimenting each other?"

"I-I-I'm, well—"

"Because I like the idea of it," White finished with a sigh. "Compliments are rare in Nuvema Town, except from Bianca of course. Oh, have you by chance met her?"

_Thank goodness…a conversation change_. "No I don't believe I have."

"Well she thinks you're extremely good looking, and if you weren't already engaged, I would have tried to set you both up on a date."

N scratched the back of his neck nervously and gave White a sheepish smile. "Haha, too bad right?"

"I guess so…"

_The awkwardness is back…_"Alright Tranquil, there should be enough to fly. Take it easy on Pidove alright? No overexerting, but be sure to push yourself." He addressed his final statement to Pidove who tweeted in understanding.

Lillipup growled and began to chew on White's furry boots. "Liiiirrrlllll…"

"No-no-don't do that Lillipup, you'll hurt your teeth!"

Lillipup nodded obediently sat down besides White feet, whilst gazing up at her with wide neon blue eyes.

"My baby here can run super-fast," White chimed with a proud smile. "Especially during lunch time."

"Since he's young, he can just run around and stretch his legs. Doing this, his muscles will expand and he'll grow even faster. It happens to every Pokémon. Exercise is the key."

White nodded and scratched at the palm of her hand. "But what about battling for experience?"

"They need that too," N answered seriously. "But this helps their agility and strength, so they'll be prepared for every battle thrown at them."

Pacing over to the bench, White plopped herself down and patted the space next to her for N to sit down also. "So how's life?"

N let out a whistle and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Tired."

"You're still tired?" White asked worriedly, though her eyebrows were cocked sternly. "At least we booked a room so you'll be able to rest in peace."

"I literally can't wait," N laughed out as he rested his elbows on his thighs. Staring down at his shows, N felt his shoulders slump.

"Maybe you're stressed out?"

"Possibly. I wake up a lot in the middle of the night also," N responded. "Some nights I do, some nights I don't."

White bent over to touch her toes, but on the way she made eye-contact with N. Giving him a goofy smile—which he returned—White snapped her fingers. "I have a few home remedies to help you out with."

"That would be great," N said gratefully, his eyes closing slowly.

* * *

><p>"N? C'mon the Gym's about to close in a few minutes, we have to go."<p>

Opening his eyes slowly, N moaned lowly and rubbed at his eyes. "Alright…"

Pidove instantly flew over to White's shoulder and buried herself in the crook of her neck. Pansear swung off a nearby tree that he had taken a nap in since he wasn't required to train. Landing gently on White's shoulder, Pansear rested his head against her ear and closed his eyes.

Oshawott shyly raised her arms up in White's direction as a signal for her to pick her up. Zorua snickered and clambered up N's body, much to Oshawott's embarrassment. Leaning down, White held Oshawott securely in her arms and began to make her way to the door.

Lillipup had long since fallen asleep in N's lap, so by now he was already fast asleep in the crook of his elbow.

"If I could have a bed in front of me right now," N drawled as he closed his eyes lightly before pulling the door open for White once more. "I would just collapse and never wake up."

"I'm pretty tired right now too…" Rubbing at her eyes White winced as the cold wind hit her face.

As soon as they neared the medical center, they rushed inside.

Wordlessly, they entered their room and collapsed on their respective beds. The room looked exactly like the room Black and White rented out on the first night they went on their journey. Luckily the beds were bigger so all her Pokémon could sleep with her. Rolling onto her bed, White managed to tiredly swivel her head in N's direction. "N?"

"Zzzzz…"

Kicking off her boots, White padded quickly to the dresser on the opposite end of the room. Even with socks on, the cold wooden floor seemed to penetrate through them. Pulling open the drawer, she found it stocked with warm, clean PJ's. Knowing that N was fast asleep, White stripped herself down and squirmed when the cold air hit her skin. Pulling on the fleece PJ's, White took out some of the male PJ's and closed the drawer. Sitting on the edge of N's bed, she managed to pull him up into a sitting position.

"Okay…" White unzipped his jacket and pulled off the grey long-sleeved shirt he had underneath. His eyes jolted open once the cold air hit his torso.

"White?"

"Yeah?" White asked unconsciously as she took the top of the pajamas and began to scrunch them up around the neck hole for easier access. "Raise your arms." N complied obediently even though his blush showed up un-obediently.

_My Arceus this man has some abs…most guys I know don't even have abs. _White snorted in spite of herself.

"What?"

"What-what?" White inquired.

"You snorted…at me?"

"No, I was just laughing at my thoughts. Don't worry about it," White said with a dismissive hand. "I assume you don't sleep with pants on."

N nodded in affirmation. Pulling off his pants quickly, N stuffed himself under the covers and sighed. "Goodnight, White. Didn't you have any sleeping remedies for me though?"

"Tomorrow night. I have a feeling you'll sleep well tonight. Goodnight, N," White muttered as she padded over to her own bed and stuffed herself under the covers along with her Pokémon—excluding Pidove who had resided on the wooden holder of the bed. Right now she just felt so robotic, and the bed was so warm, and she was on the borderline of passing out. "I love you…Black…"

N felt a sudden weight on his chest when he heard 'I love you', but instantly relaxed when she said Black. Nothing would be able to happen between them anyway. He was 19 and she was 16!

_Okay, the age difference isn't so bad but…I'm married. Almost. This is strictly professional. Nothing outside the terms of Pokémon happens beyond this point. I have had not filter in my words today whatsoever. Tomorrow we start over. As friends. I can't have and distractions. The end result is coming soon. There's no chance between us anyway. Strictly professional. Strictly professional…_

* * *

><p><strong>I did NOT read over the second part of this chapter, so if there are any typos, forgive me.<strong>

**If you want the next chapter dedicated to you..._..._ Err...Tell me your favorite part of this story and tell me _why _because I love stuff like that and you'll make my day and you'll get a chapter dedicated to you :D**

**Everyone should go thank SilverxBird for giving me the privilege to write this story. Without her this story wouldn't be here.**

**I'm eating HOT DOGS...hot dog hot dog hot diggity dog it's a brand new year what you waiting for? (Idk know the lyrics but I KNOW YOU WERE SINGING ALONG!)**

**So please review~ And to all you ghost readers, you matter, a lot. You're either very positive or very negative. Positive as in, when you leave reviews, they are so uplifting, they get the writer through the whole process of the story. Or you don't review and you're negative and the reader thinks nobody cares about their story and they never update again. I'm a ghost reader myself, but I leave reviews every now and then. **

**Have a nice day and tune in next time**

**~Shadow-chan**

**P.S. If I don't update in time by the next two weeks, you can review or PM me and I'll update and I'll love you forever and give you a shout out...I was sick so I had a reason though :D **


	5. Chapter 5

**New Chapter guys..like...dafuq took me so long?! OH GEEZ. THIS CHAPTER. I DON'T EVEN KNOW. I hope you enjoy though ^_^ Lots of fluff...so much...you might choke. I have no clue where the narrative of the boy in the grocery store came from either :O But hey, he'll come back, so I hope you enjoy ;) Um...Please review, they really help a lot with the writing process. It lets me know you guys are interested and you want me to continue. I love you guys, and I love writing for you guys :D**

**Dedicated to: SilverxBird and DunThrowMud Love your nickname btw ;)**

**Disclaimer: No I don't own this...sheesh...Give it to me, if you please...give it to me...**

**Song of the Day: What what in the butt. THAT's RIGHT THAT SONG IS WHERE THIS STORY COMES FROM!**

* * *

><p>"Hey…wake-up," A nauseating smell of dough filled her nostrils. "You're a deep sleeper. Lucky."<p>

White opened her eyes weakly but was only greeted by blurriness. Closing her eyes once more, she let out a groan. "N…it's too early."

"It's 10 o'clock," N deadpanned as he laid down beside her. "It's not early by my standards."

"Well it's really early by mine," White growled as she pushed N away and began to collect her clothes from her backpack. "Did I tell you the good news yet?"

"No?" N pondered as he held out a glazed donut in her direction. "You want a donut?"

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, White shook her head and began to comb through her hair was difficulty. _Why oh why is curly hair prone to getting tangled so easily? _After placing her hair in its signature high ponytail, White sighed and slugged her way over to the bathroom to change. "No thanks."

"I've eaten too many already," N reasoned mostly to himself as he gingerly placed the donut to the side. "What's the news?"

White walked back out of the bathroom excitedly. "Oh, Oshawott learned razor shell!" Her smile was so wide that it was contagious. "She has more power in that move than Dewott did. I was really surprised when she chopped down one of those trees. One of those thick ones, by the way."

N smiled back at her before brushing away his bangs. "That's great; I think you're ready to challenge the Gym."

She sat down on his bed just adjacent to where he was so she could look at him in the eyes. "Are you sure? I mean—I don't feel ready."

"But your Pokémon do," N responded as he nodded in the direction of his Zorua and White's Pokémon. "What did we go over?"

"Trust in your Pokémon," White said robotically. "I got it, geez."

"If you've got it, you're ready." He smirked at her causing her to grow red.

With a pout, White raised her voice. "Don't smirk like that it bothers me!"

His smirk grew wider. Pointing his index finger at his smirk innocently he questioned. "You mean doing this bothers you?" She nodded violently causing him to chuckle. "Alright, alright, I won't do it so much. I can't really help it."

Crossing her arms, she fell back onto his bed and breathed in deeply before sighing tiredly. The bed's cover smelled like his cologne, and man did that cologne smell…expensive. "I feel really nervous now."

"You'll be fine, as long as you battle with Pansear and Oshawott," N said smoothly.

White put her face in her hands and breathed deeply for a moment. Cold sweat was running down her back and it felt horrible. "I've felt nervous before battling Cilan but not this nervous."

"Keep breathing," N answered, earning himself a 'you_-don't-say'_ glare from White. "When you breathe deeply you release the special kinds of pheromones which help you calm down."

"I am."

N grabbed his red scarf from the end of his bed and plopped himself down besides White. Whilst wrapping the thick fabric around his pale neck, White couldn't help but stare at the pale sliver of chest that was shown through the navy blue V-neck he was wearing. "What's wrong, White?"

"Aren't you going to cover up your chest? It's really cold outside."

"Yeah I am." Making a special tie that covered his chest, N smiled at White. "Did that make you uncomfortable or something?"

White snorted. "Hardly, Black wears a lot of those shirts though so when it's cold I constantly have to remind him to wear a sweater or something." She glanced back at the donut on the nightstand before sharply turning her head away. Her stomach dry-heaved. "I can't believe you wanted to give me a donut…"

"Eat it please," N replied as he handed White her purple hoodie. "If you don't eat you're going to throw up."

Taking the greasy dough object into her hand, she bit into it carefully. "I'm eating, I'm eating."

"Let's go then." N said determinedly.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe it."<p>

"Well when you can, be proud," N said as he closed his eyes tiredly for a moment. "Only six more badges left…"

"You want to be a Pokémon Champion?" White asked incredulously.

"You can say that."

"Hey stop smirking!" White growled before dropping her head tiredly. "Oshawott evolved…right in the middle of the battle. What timing huh?"

N's lips twitched upward for a minute before White cleared her throat. At the sound of her voice, N detected a sour pitch. The pitch of a subject that didn't want to be brought up.

Tugging on N's shirt, she dragged him over to a bench that sat unused in front of the entrance of the Gym.

Oshawott scratched her head awkwardly before suggesting to the rest of the Pokémon that they huddle for warmth, Pansear being the warmth.

"Alright, so, I know I haven't made that much progress with my Pokémon and all and I hate to take breaks early in anything," N nodded for her to continue, his eyebrows slightly furrowing. "But my brother really needs me to come see his first showing. He's going to be on a night-time TV ma-bob-er to introduce himself to…well, the world."

"It's okay," N replied, burrowing his hands into the deep pockets of his white sweatshirt. "I'll meet up with you afterwards."

"You wouldn't like to come with me?"

"I have business to attend to," N replied quickly, earning an offended eyebrow quirk from White. "Honestly. I meant to tell you…" White continued to glare at him but constantly swiveled her eyes over to her Pokémon to make sure they were in a vicinity White could reach if needed. "I'll accompany you to Castelia City, as that is where my business is."

"I'm okay with that." White mumbled to herself. "His performance is really soon, so I'd rather get there as fast as possible. Can we make a break for Castelia City?"

N's frown grew a bit deeper, but he bit his cheek and nodded. "Yeah, we better be careful though."

* * *

><p>"Ah, Pinwheel forest is so much more peaceful than that other forest we had to go through."<p>

"The Pokémon did seem a bit agitated…" N reasoned, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck and pulling an area up to cover his freezing lips. "I'm not one to complain about the weather but—"

"You're not one to complain _at all_." White muttered, jealously. She pulled the hood part of her hoodie over her head and fixed Lillipup in the crevice of her hoodie and breasts. He was shaking and White was feeling terrible. She didn't want her Pokémon to be affected by anything, not even the weather. Pansear was welcome to sit on her shoulder, as his heat lessened the shaking of Lillipup and the red of White's ears.

Dewott trotted along happily next to White, only listening to the tall handsome trainer and her brunette trainer every so often. She was feeling particularly happy with herself. She had learned the moves Razor Shell and Fury Cutter, and her new evolved form turned out rather well. Her whiskers curled at the end in a delicate way, and it reminded her of White. Her trainer's curly hair was gorgeous in her eyes, even though the brunette yelled profanities at her hair every morning while brushing it, it was still beautiful. She had a long sort of furry fin coming from her head that curled backwards, and no doubt would this new part allow her to swim faster and with more ease. Instead of having one shell, she now had two at her beck and call. And they were fastened onto what was shaped like baggy pants on a dark navy blue set of fur. The fur sparkled a bit as if infused with light glitter, and this time, it reminded her of her mother. Her mother's fur always sparkled.

She was a light baby blue color all around except for her paws which were covered in a dusky onyx fur. Her powerful dark tail grew longer and wider as to help daze her opponent and she couldn't help but be thankful for this new upgrade.

"As I was saying," N said with a smirk. "It's really too cold for this time of season."

"I agree," White murmured.

Pidove shook her head robotically to roll the chill off her back as she glided around N and White. Making sure to keep within eyeshot of her trainer, or else she'd be scolded.

Many wild Pokémon drifted from branch to branch, yet all the furred Pokémon seemed to stray away from the path, as if the pathway was taken over by the bug Pokémon.

A silver pathway of water orbs lined the trees in a frozen state, and White couldn't help but smile at the festiveness that grew in the bottom of her heart. Christmas was a holiday she absolutely adored. It was still too early to be celebrating. In fact, just why was it _so_ cold? It was heading towards the end of August…but the weather should still be warm for a while.

_At least it'll be warm for Black's birthday and mine…_Her mind drifted toward N. The way he walked surprised her. He walked with a sort of coldness, that was cut off from the world. His hands were shoved deep into his pants pockets, and his back leaned way backward, in an uncaring, relaxed motion. He indeed seemed very distant from the world, because who in the world didn't know what a donut was? _Bad choice of judgment…_White berated herself. He was just different from everyone else; that it was plain obvious.

"Um…what's the plan when we reach Castelia City?"

N hummed to himself before looking at White out of the corner of his eye and smirking. "You don't know?"

"Stupid question. I've been out of it lately, sorry." White retorted, biting her cheek angrily.

"You'll hurt yourself if you keep biting your cheek."

"The pain is refreshing. It wakes you up."

"I don't want to see you in pain." N said smoothly.

White took this moment to step up her pace and poke him in the cheek. Poking him seemed to be turning into a habit. "Aww, do you care about your 'senpai'?"

"'Senpai?"

"Yeah, Senpai."

The tall male laughed and shook his head before grabbing her hand and pulling it downward, making sure to release it as soon as their arms were at a 180 degree angle. "Senpai is used to describe seniority over another. Of knowledge, grade level, age, anything that your cohort has above you. In fact, I should be your senpai."

"You don't have to rub it in that you're smarter than me."

"Quite the contrary," N said quickly. "In social relations and…about everything else to do with common 'street knowledge', I assume I should be calling you senpai…"

"Don't worry, I'll help you." White said, feeling slightly guilty at making N admit he was actually 'dumb' at something.

N stopped suddenly and dug his heels into the ground. White stopped more smoothly and turned to look back at N. She approached him slowly and stared up into his face, of which he kept downcast. He was reminiscing, and regretting something. She knew that look. She wore it a lot.

"I…I-I'm sorry…"

He glanced up at her, and she frowned worriedly at the sight of his eyes. They were now a stormy dark-grey. He suddenly seemed so depressed and angry at the same time, but at the sight of her confused facial expression, he gave her an apologetic grin. "It's nothing that's your fault."

"Well I still feel guilty." White mumbled before wrapping her arms around him loosely. "I don't want any pain to you either, Sherlock."

N glanced down at White and noted that her head didn't even reach his shoulder, he almost wanted to laugh but the goddesses had reminded him that during a hug, laughing wasn't an appropriate reaction. She smelled nice and he could compliment her on that…_Perhaps that's a bit too awkward._

"Well I don't feel awkward for giving you an unreturned hug." White growled sarcastically, making sure to adjust Lillipup who was now growling in discontent at having been mushed against the tall male.

"Oh." N wrapped his arms loosely around White before she pushed away from him, an amused smirk lacing her lips.

"You're such an awkward person. You know that right?"

The dark grey in his eyes broke apart, to a lighter, crisper color. He smiled and motioned for her to not trip over an upcoming root, of which she just rolled her eyes. She tripped over it anyway.

As N helped her up, Zorua sprang from the depths of N's hoodie and morphed into an Oshawott. After a moment of smoothing his newfound pointy whiskers, he approached Dewott with a look of curiosity. The true otter Pokémon smiled and began to show off her new sharper shells. They were round but had a sharp point, and he honestly didn't want to be on the other end of those shells. After a moment of studying her furiously, Dewott had enough and with her cheeks flush, turned away. Her title was "The Discipline Pokémon", so she would act as such. Placing her shells back onto the navy blue fur that covered her thighs, she managed to stop blushing.

"Osha—" Zorua concentrated and in a bright ray of light, transformed into a Dewott. He gained height over her by a large amount of inches. Dewott smiled and clapped Zorua on the back in congratulations. Zorua sniffed triumphantly and tugged on Dewott's whiskers playfully, egging her on to chase him through the forest.

"Dewott, come back here!"

"Let her run around, White." N said authoritatively, making sure to distance himself from White as soon as she brushed off her knees and was no longer resting besides him.

White clenched her fist at his tightly controlled voice. He was acting different. Plus, she didn't like people telling her what to do. If she wanted her Pokémon by her side, they'll be by her side dammit. Her eyes widened at her thoughts. _Am I really this controlling? _She glanced toward N and frowned at the sight. He had shoved his hands deep within his pockets, as if he had no intention of using them again. Almost as if he was disgusted from touching her. _Damn it when did I start being cliché and reading into other people's movements. He's plain awkward that's it. Stop being so sensitive, White!_

The chill of the air bit her eyes and cheeks as she sped up a bit to keep her Pokémon within her line of vision. With Zorua by Dewott's side, no doubt would he protect her. _I guess it's okay for now…_

The trees were foggy with a sort of black mist and White couldn't help but try to evade the sinister looking wisps of discolored air that tried to tangle themselves into her limbs.

"Doesn't the air seem different to you, N?" White asked, pulling up to his side.

He glanced down at her and was appalled by a moment for the color of her eyes. They were such a pretty shade of blue_. Much better than my dull, personality-less eyes_. "It seems that way. Do you have asthma by chance?"

"Kind of," White replied, now growing alarmed. "This air spikes asthma?"

"I can only assume." N mumbled, now feeling cross with himself for not knowing something that could be helpful to his partner. Especially if her health was at risk.

_Damn it. _White cursed herself. N was always right.

As they continued further, Pansear began to swing from the tree branches, in hopes of finding a shortcut to get his new found trainer (?) out of the harmful forest. Every breath White took made a horrible wheezing sound, and her Pokémon and she flinched every time she breathed in. Pidove tried flying in circles a wide distance away from White's head in order to fan the harmful air away from her, but to no avail. The air seemed to try to cling to the person and made every attempt to close in on an open space. Dewott now lurked near White and made sure to never let White walk into any wisps. Through all the efforts, the Pokémon lay unaffected, and so did N. Yet White seemed all the more vulnerable. She hated having people worry about her. And she hated being the one lagging the group.

The green-haired male was growing increasingly worried as White's breathing began to grow labored. Every shaky breath she took made N want to grab her, sling her across his back and take off, only to gain directions from the Pokémon around him. Damn it all. She was too stubborn for that.

"White—"

"I-I," She wheezed and coughed a bit into the sleeve of her hoodie. "I'm fine."

"No, I don't think so." He was never one to get straight to the point. He was horrible at straight confrontations.

"You don't know!" White snapped before wheezing some more and trying to pull the collar of her hoodie to her nose in order to ease her breathing. It fell back down.

White sped up past him and glared at him a bit. She was not a nuisance. She was the one that never faltered even when she was sick. With scarily quick recoveries, she was always back to work a couple hours later.

Her Pokémon called after her worriedly, along with N. She glared at the path ahead and began to jog. She'd beat them to the exit and then laugh at them for being worried about her. _I can handle this. I've had asthma before…Never this bad though. The more time I spend in the forest, the more it's going to be hard to breathe. _

She could hear her Pokémon hurrying after her and N's frantic footsteps as he jogged to catch up with her.

Asthma or not, she used to run track. She ran away, to hopefully find an area of clear air, yet the farther she ran down, the uglier the air seemed to become.

"WHITE!"

That was the first time she heard him yell. And it scared her. She faltered a bit; breathing was so deliriously painful that she wanted to drop down to her knees. But the thought of not breathing and dying in this forest of "poisonous" gas was terrible. Her brother needed her, and she would be there.

Right when she was about to spring off, two strong arms wrapped around her waist.

She was insanely frustrated and her breathing was beginning to make her chest and face heat up to insane amounts. N spun her around and her face caught into his chest and at the light smell of cologne, she felt as if her chest broke in half. She yelled into his shirt, as if trying to find an easier way to breathe. It felt like she was drowning out of water. He merely took off his scarf and wrapped it around her nose and mouth loosely.

"When I asked you if you had asthma, you said 'kinda'…" He was talking so smoothly and lowly that White forced herself to be quiet in order to hear him. Her arms went around his waist and she clenched him tightly. Her hands were beginning to clench in on themselves involuntarily. His shirt provided resistance. "I don't want you to run away from me. I hate that. You could have died White; do you know how hard you're breathing right now? I can feel your heartbeat, y'know?…Your heart shouldn't be beating so hard."

"I-I," Her chest tightened and she buried her head into his hoodie. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…God it fucking hurts to breathe right now N-N you don't know…h-how much it hurts…What the hell is wrong with this purple air…I—"

"Calm down," N commanded, wrapping his arms around her loosely, so her chest had enough space and pressure to inhale and exhale. "I don't know what's wrong with this forest and the air. But…but we won't be coming back here for a while. I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"That you'll never leave me, or run away from me, like you did just now. I need you to promise me that."

"I promise…" White mumbled, her voice clogged. "I promise…" Her heart grew a few pounds with the weight of a new promise. After all, she took them very seriously.

* * *

><p>"You okay?"<p>

She pressed the button on top of the inhaler and gasped at the rush of medicated air filling her lungs. Her airway untightened and she glanced up at N with an apologetic smile. "Yeah, I'm sorry."

N slumped down next to her and glanced over at her warily. His gaze was intense, and she felt completely ashamed of her actions. The way his eyes seemed to torment her yet leave her feeling protected confused her. White wasn't used to being silently scolded, so she tried to brave her way through it. She glanced back shyly before pulling his scarf above her nose and mouth. His gaze was too penetrating. She uttered another apology lightly as she glanced back toward the grocery store they sat in front of.

The florescent light cut boldly through the windows and covered them both in an ugly glare.

Every time the automatic door opened, a warm flush of air would gently kiss the side of White's face, as she sat closer to the entrance. N was quiet, that was a given, but in situations when they were alone, he was usually talkative. She scratched her head and decided she would get rid of the awkward void between them.

"We always sit in front of stores, but never go inside at the same time. Together I mean…" She gulped. Wasn't being awkward N's job?

"Hm."

"Why is that?"

N roughly pulled down the scarf covering half of her face. At the shocked look she gave him, he merely sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Because you don't want to go in?"

"You scratched my face." White had to bite back a smile as his eyes widened.

"I'm sorry." He looked away and rubbed at his eyes. The bags under his eyes grew larger, and she _tsked _her tongue worriedly.

She rested her hand on his back to gain his attention. When he didn't look at her, she tapped his back lightly. The warmth that radiated from him warmed her hands, making her sigh in relief.

"We should challenge the Gym." N muttered, shuffling away from her a bit. She pulled back her hand and glared at him a bit. She said she was sorry; did he want a written apology at that? She berated herself. She was being seriously immature and foolish today. Rarely had she ever acted like that, yet around N, everything she did was stupid. He was just so weirdly mature and awkward that it made her awkward.

"Already?"

N nodded and petted Zorua lightly. Well wasn't he all sun and daises around Pokémon? Did he have some sort of secret grudge against humans or something? "You have to make it to Lacunosa Town soon, am I correct?"

White nodded, her frown deepening at his cold tone.

"We challenge the Gym tonight then, so you can make your trip around midnight," He watched her silently and smiled lightly at the fact that she was now returning his gaze. When the corners of her mouth turned downward and she turned her head lightly to look at the store behind them, his frown returned. "I'll challenge the Gym first and tell you how it went…would you like to spend some time in the grocery store, and get things ready for your trip?"

She caught his gaze and smiled softly, yet it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sorry." The awkwardness between them was really rubbing her the wrong way. Saying sorry really made her want to rip out the inside of her cheek.

They watched each other for a moment. White sitting ramrod straight while N was hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees.

He took in her features. She seemed so alive, yet if he hadn't caught up, she would have…he didn't want to think about that. Her eyes were sincere, yet her smile was light-hearted and carefree. Running a hand through his hair, he nodded shortly and sighed. "It's…I forgive you."

"I'll wait in the store; you'll come and get me right?"

He grunted and stood up to wipe his pants down briefly. "I'll be back soon."

She nodded awkwardly and wrapped her legs around each other while fidgeting in her seat. She was warming up her legs since they'd grown numb, even though she wore jeans. She'd see him off before heading into the store. "It's a big City, don't get lost."

"I won't."

"Good luck, N." White never really referred to him with his name. Needless to say, her words left a bigger impact when she said his name. He didn't appreciate the pet-names she gave him, yet they didn't bother him. When she said his name, it touched him more. She usually addressed him with a name correlating to something smart, yet when she talked to him with his name, he felt as if his name sounded better. More positive. He guessed that since she said his name rarely it was special when she did, and it left him smiling.

"Thank you—um," He dug in his pockets and pulled out a thick wad of cash and handed it to her. "Shop for whatever you like, I'm assuming you'll be gone for a while. I'll be back soon."

"I can pay for myself y'know…" White drawled, not wanting to be rude. "Are you sure?"

He nodded and turned away. "Sorry I'm hard to…um…converse with."

"I'm just glad you forgave me…I can be a bit weird to talk to at times, hell, who's not awkward at least once in their life?"

N was silent as he complicated what she just told him. "I guess that's right…" He turned and strode away quickly, making sure to find his way to the bullet-train station first. The Gym would come second.

* * *

><p>"This is way bigger than the grocery store in Nuvema Town…" White said unwittingly as she stuffed the wad of cash in her back pocket. Right beside the automatic doors was a small gathering of stacked shopping baskets. Deciding against making her Pokémon walk anymore, she decided to take one of the brightly, red painted carts. Taking out Lillipup gently, she layered the cold metal seat—usually meant for toddlers—with N's scarf and laid Lillipup down on top of it.<p>

The small puppy Pokémon was in a state of nearing slumber, and as soon as he left the warmth of White's breast, he began to whimper, but as his head hit the warm material, he sighed deeply and fell back into a rolling slumber.

To make sure the small Pokémon didn't fall while the cart was rolling, she made sure Pansear sat beside him. With a thumbs up the Pokémon held onto the bar leisurely, flashing White an excited smile. His dark eyes made sure to glance every few seconds at the slumbering Pokémon every so often.

"C'mon Dewott, into the basket you go!"

Glad to have a break from walking, Dewott raised her arms and allowed for White to carry her and drop her playfully into the lower basket. The otter Pokémon cheered gleefully and held onto the side of the basket with eagerness, making sure to take in all the sights.

"Flying isn't allowed here Pidove, so just take a break and relax in the basket, alright?"

Pidove took a long look at White, testing her bounds. White's smile thinned and she pointed her finger with a firm gesture towards the basket. Pidove's eyes narrowed into a glare and when White opened her mouth, Pidove stretched her wings out. At the surprised look from White, Pidove seemed to smirk. That is, if birds could smirk.

"Ma'am, no flying is allowed in the store." An acne-ridden teen called out with a raspy tone from his place at the cashier stand. Making sure to scan an elderly lady's grocery's as slowly as possible.

"Yeah, sorry!" White called back, firming her hands on her hips. "Pidove!"

Pidove tweeted loudly and motioned to a bag of all-natural, organic, _expensive_ seeds. The bag was extremely small for the price, and White being one to know how to get a lot for a small amount of money was surprised. "You want something as expensive as that?"

Pidove nodded and flexed her wings a bit.

"I'm not getting them for you."

The haughty bird Pokémon tilted her head back and was about to utter the loudest chirp she could when White waved her hands frantically in front of her. "Fine! Just, hop in the cart, alright?"

With a snort of satisfaction, the bird Pokémon jumped in the cart.

The brunette sighed wearily and began to push the cart through the main opening, into a vacant isle. As she gazed at the variety of soups, a strong vibration in her pocket caught her attention. "If you guys see anything you think we might need on our trip, get it; make sure you ask Dewott or Pidove though. They know our travel size."

Pansear nodded and probed Lillipup awake to begin their shopping spree.

Leaning down on her elbow she fished out her X-Transceiver that was still too big to fit on her wrist. Maybe it'd be a good upper arm brace? Snapping open the top she clicked, receive call. "Hello?"

The screen cleared to view her favorite person.

**"White, holy cheese-itz, where have you been?"**

"Been busy…I'm going to get my third badge soon."

**"Wow, you've made a lot of progress huh? Congratulations. My performance is in a couple days by the way."**

"I'm taking the bullet train there at midnight tonight."

**"What?"**

"I. Am. Taking. The. Bullet. Train. There. Tonight." White stressed. "You sound a bit surprised..."

Black knew she was teasing and sighed irritably. **"No, it's fine Sherlock Holmes. Can you just tell me when you arrive so I can pick you up early and what not? I know you hate waiting and I'm not up for nagging alright?"**

"Ah, that hurts," White mumbled sarcastically before laughing a bit. "Alright I'll give you a dial up. Hmm…Have you heard word from Cheren and Bianca?"

**"They're here right now."**

"What?! Are you serious?" White tried to sneak a peek into the corner of screen in hopes of finding a smart looking male and a constantly laughing blonde. "They're there for you too?"

**"They're not here at the moment; they went to the police headquarters to talk about what they had to take care of when they flew off. But they are here for the night-time show. Kind of glad they put aside their lives for me…Especially Cheren."**

"You always looked up to Cheren, huh?"

**"You and Cheren, always."**

"White fake pouted and rubbed Pansear's head comfortingly. "What about poor Bianca?"

**"Don't make me feel bad! I guess so…I mean…'Pokémon Professor' isn't really the career choice I'm going for."**

"What is it you're going for?"

**"Something music oriented I suppose. Maybe a degree in conducting, something like that."**

"Sounds cool, I hope you have enough money to pay for conducting school."

**"Psh, with all the money I'll be raking in from this band, I can pay for it with no problems." **Black smiled cheekily. She would have been ecstatic also, had she been in his position. Money was a tender spot with them. He noticed her smiling distantly and decided to cut in to soothe her thoughts. **"I can't wait to see you if that makes you feel any better."**

White nodded and grabbed some _Meowth Pay-Day Cookies_. Dewott and Pansear cheered at the sight of the delectable treat. She passed the box of vanilla and chocolate filled cookies to Dewott who placed it neatly in the back of the basket.

"Makes me feel a whole lot better, thanks." She was genuine in her words.

After a moment of shopping and idle chatter, she ended the call with a wave. Sliding the communication device back into her pocket, she decided to hit the restroom before taking her basket to checkout. The uneasy feeling in her stomach that was caused from her impending Gym battle backed her up a mental wall. She felt like a Meowth that was being intimidated by a Houndoom. Tears pricked at her eyes when a wave of nausea decided to sneak up her throat. Not wanting to blow chunks onto the floor of the grocery store she handed the folded clump of money to Dewott and sprinted toward the bathroom.

**_Inside a Pokémon's Mind_**

**"Thanks a lot, White." Dewott muttered tiredly. **

**"She gets far too nervous for her own good…" Pidove said with a sigh. **

**Pansear nodded and rubbed the tuft on top of his head cautiously. His voice had a Middle Eastern drawl to it that lured his words upward in a smooth fashion. A reference of a voice to keep in mind… would be Rami Malek. "I suppose, she's a nice gal though."**

**"Hella nice," Lillipup chimed quietly. "I think I'll be stickin' around her. I like it better than with the old witch…ugh, whatta bitch."**

**"Stop cussing…" Dewott muttered irritably before hopping smoothly over the side of the grocery basket. "Help me push this thing, Pansear. Pidove, hold onto the rim of the basket and flap in the direction of checkout."**

**"Wait a minute," Pidove said quickly. A lime-green, durable, travel bag caught her sharp eye. "Wouldn't this be useful to White? To store all this food in…there's even a miniature cooler thing inside of here."**

**Dewott nodded and motioned for her to drop it into the basket. After everyone was settled into position, Dewott whistled. Pidove flapped a few good measures with her feet wrapped around the honeycomb shaped holes of the cart. Pansear laughed lowly and motioned for his otter friend to stop pushing. As they watched the cart trundle away with Pidove huffing and puffing and Lillipup snoring up a tornado, they couldn't help but laugh. At the sound of merriment, Pidove stopped her flapping and glared behind her. "CAN WE HURRY UP?! YOU FREE LOADERS! SEE IF I EVER DO THIS AGAIN, I'M TIRED OF PICKING UP ALL THE SLACK, IT ALMOST BROKE MY BLOODY BACK!"**

**Pansear howled with laughter and wiped away a nonexistent tear. "She rhymed!"**

**The navy blue otter Pokémon finished her laugh fest and motioned for Pansear to help her push the cart.**

**"Finally. The bloody check-out row…"**

**"Yeah, finally," Pansear said with a flirty drawl. He clambered up the cart easily, making sure to nudge the bird Pokémon a bit. She responded with a glare and began to layer the items in the cart onto the conveyer belt. **

**The gangly teenager from before glanced curiously at the Pokémon, it was unusual to see Pokémon shopping by themselves. He coughed into the air and dragged his hands through his hair. He couldn't wait until his shift ended. It was getting late, and some messed up stuff happened in grocery stores at night. All the while, he wanted to work longer. Money was tight, and his dad wasn't able to pay bills as easily. He spent all his money on cigars, not even cigarettes. A lot of people don't know just how expensive cigars were. To put it short, they were about as expensive as the price a modern hospital would charge just for a exam. With a sigh, the boy cursed his father once more and began to scan the items through the red beam that gleamed from underneath the cash register. **

**Dewott grabbed the bills from her pouch and held it firmly in hand. When he'd scan an item twice, Pansear or herself would tap the credit card scanner quickly. **

**"Why are Pokémon so annoying."**

**Pansear growled and crossed his arms. The hope that his sudden action would intimidate the teen succeeded. **

**The shaggy, coffee-haired male coughed nervously and bagged up the rest of the merchandise. These Pokémon had to have a trainer right? Were they intending on paying for the groceries themselves? He saw that brown haired chick run to the bathroom earlier. Her face was all green. She was cute, but green wasn't his thing. He liked red. **

**He filed the groceries for easier packaging. **

**Hey, it was paycheck day. He allowed himself to smile and thought about treating his girl to a decent meal. Not in a restaurant or anything, but he could buy some stuff from here and probably cook up something nice. He nodded to himself in determination. That sudden hope died in his chest. She was probably cheating on him. The thought of that long, red-haired babe smiling at him caused his chest to ache. He knew she was one of those girls who lost interest in guys quickly and skipped around with other men, even if she was dating someone. **

**That large wad of cash the otter held seemed hopeful. He stuck out his hand for the money. **

**The sudden movement caused Pansear to snap his arm out in front of Dewott protectively. **

**Pokémon weren't this smart right? He hadn't pressed the enter button to ring up the purchase. He planned on pocketing the cash. **

**"Give me the money."**

**Dewott pointed to the cash register curiously. **

**"Shouldn't he put the money in there…Pansear?"**

**"Don't give him the money, okay, Dew?" Pansear replied, glaring at the cashier with all the might he could of a rabid Houndoom. **

**"There's a line growing behind us." Pidove snapped. A Minun and Plusle in the cart behind them were yelling angrily at them to get moving. "Just give him the money already!"**

**Dewott grew nervous and fidgeted. The teenager was yelling now. There was no way he'd be able to pocket the cash now with those Pikachu looking Pokémon and their obese owner watching. Wait…she was looking through a trashy magazine! He may still have a chance.**

**He began to pull viciously at the wad of money in Dewott's hand.**

**_Out of a Pokémon's Mind_**

**_(A/N HERE IS WHERE MY WRITING STYLE CHANGES, NOTICE! :O I THINK I WRITE BETTER AFTER THIS POINT :D)_**

"What the hell is going on?!"

The sound of their owner caused Dewott, Pidove, and Pansear to sigh in relief.

"Ma'am!" The boy yelped. Damn voice cracks. "I'm just trying to finish your purchase. As you know I need money, and—"

"I know you need money to finish a purchase, I'm not frickin stupid!" White hissed irritably. She really did not appreciate the sight she came back to. A man trying to intimidate her Pokémon into coughing up money was only number 5 on the list of things that pissed her off. She paused mentally. She had "What-things-make-me-pissed-off-list"? She shook her head crossly.

The large woman behind them scooted her cart backward. Her eyes were wide, and her mascara was watered down her cheeks. With a sigh, she rolled into another lane.

"Seeing as how you didn't even ring up the total, I'm assuming you were trying to pocket all the money."

"How did you—"

"I used to work at one of these stores in Nuvema Town…" White answered quickly. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit proud of her past minimum wage job. "Look. This may be a bit awkward of a question, since I hardly know you and whatnot. Heck, you seem like a nice guy and all so here it is. Is this money for a girl?"

He nodded and gulped. His throat was dry and ached as he swallowed. Her breath smelled of vomit yet it didn't bother him. He placed a pack of gum on the conveyer belt before scratching his scalp. "You're dead on."

"How old are you, may I ask?"

"I just turned 18…ma'am." He replied as he packaged the goods back into her cart. "You?"

She smiled. Boy, she had a nice smile. White handed over the whole wad of cash and slid a stick of gum from the packet before resting it on her tongue. It tasted like ice-cream. The flavor was strange and repelled the positive taste buds on her tongue. She was going to spit out the gum as soon as she left the store. "I'm 16." She took out her trainer card and slid it into the credit machine. Pressing cancel for credit, she signed her name in flashy, cursive letters.

Leaning onto the cash register, the man snapped the receipt out and handed it toward White with a couple of coupons.

"Thank you. Y'know, since you're 18 and all…you can go to a university. Try to do something that's gonna earn you a lot of money. Maybe earn your way into the university if your bosses recommend you. I'm going to one really soon…" White smiled at him, causing him to smile back. "I'd be happy if I see you there. At least someone I've met before will be there."

"I'll think about it." The boy mumbled. He studied her hair and wondered what it would feel like to just spring it up and down, like a toy. He fell for girls too easily. "May I have your name?"

"No you can't have my name, but I can tell you what it is." White teased whilst snapping the receipt into her wallet. He rolled his eyes. "My name is White. White Ochi."

Dewott and Pansear glared at the boy. Was he trying to get romantic with their friend? They preferred the green haired male. They mean, he can actually talk to them, how cool is that?!

Well speak of the devil/angel/man-child.

"Oh, N. How was the battle?"

N walked forward a few more steps and smiled. "Easy, you shouldn't have a problem."

"That's great!" White rushed forward and hugged him tightly. N tried to hug back as normal as he could, which resulted in his arms cramping down around her like an angry robot. "Ouchy, you're hurting me, N!"

"Ouchy?"

"Fine, _ouch_. Is that better Mr. can't accept any other form of language accept proper English?" She teased, her pointer finger pressed into his hoodie. "Aren't you perfect?"

Her sarcasm amused N. He grabbed her hand and pulled it down from his chest. "Why, I guess I am perfect."

"Ah, now you're tooting your own horn." White laughed at his response.

"Well you asked me a question…" N responded smoothly. He noted a light sheen of sweat on her nose. He wiped it away with his sleeve. "You'll be fine in your battle."

She nodded yet proceeded to sigh nervously.

The boy behind the counter mulled over the scene in front of him and checked the clock inside the computer of his cash register. Only 10 more minutes until he could go home and call up his girl. "You guys a couple or something?"

"No, no we're not." White responded, pulling her hand away and getting a handle on the cart.

"Oh, have a nice day." The guy coughed.

"You too," N answered for White, seeing that she was busy. "Do you need help with the cart, White?"

She shook her head and motioned with a nod for them to get on their way. "Catch you later dude."

As he watched them stroll out, he couldn't help but envy the ambiance between them. So calm and controlled, as if they knew exactly what they were going to do next. He wished he held that kind of clarity. He thought their actions to be a bit too "touchy" for being friends. Maybe they were friends with benefits. He could imagine that…

With a sigh he began to run his hands through his hair but was met with some form solid weight. He pulled his hand down and glanced, wide eyed, at the blue bills in his hand. She'd given him the money, even though he tried to pocket it. Tears pricked at his eyes as he began to pull off his work vest. He headed toward the pasta isle and looked for the non-generic brands of noodles. A few tears slipped his eyes as he pulled a box of fine macaroni from the shelves. He'd treat his girl to a good meal tomorrow. He'd forgotten a time where he could buy without constantly calculating the price total.

* * *

><p>The sound of a zipper closing caused White to sigh in relief. It took forever to package everything into the bag that Pidove had picked out. At least the bag was durable.<p>

"This box of tea was left out," N said as he took notice of a box lying on the floor. He bent over to pick it up and reached for the zipper of the bag once more.

White's hand shot out and slapped N's hand lightly away.

"Still antsy from that battle I presume?" N asked jokingly.

"Very…" White groaned, rubbing her temples. "I'm just thanking God that no one fainted, including me. These things never get easier."

N cocked his head to the side curiously. "You're doing just fine. You've made a lot of progress already."

"Yeah, but, I don't know. You're the main reason. If I was by myself, I would have headed back home already." She grew exasperated. Her head was spinning and talking just seemed out of the question at the moment.

The green haired male petted Dewott who was currently resting in his lap. Her loud snores vibrated against his stomach, which placed a goofy smile on his face. As he watched White rearrange the bag on her should he couldn't help but remember where he went after his battle. "I got you a train-pass, you leave in 40 minutes. I suggest we get their early so you can get a comfortable car."

"Thank you so much," White said as she reached for the train ticket that he held out to her. She read the print over quickly to see which terminal she was placed in. "First class?"

He nodded. "I didn't have enough money on me for exclusive. The ATM's were down."

"There is an exclusive class?!" She was amazed and in shock.

"Yeah…sorry…"

"No, no, the most I can afford is 4th class. Oh my gosh, N! Thank you _so _much!" She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. Do to his position; all he could do was lean in a bit. As she pulled away, she whispered into his ear that he was spoiling her.

N rolled his eyes and smiled cheekily. "It's alright, really. I didn't know it would make you this happy. I'll make sure to get us many forms of transportation…I want to show you exclusive class."

"You don't have to do that, I'm just fine riding in any—"

"I like trains." He said suddenly.

White was left wide-eyed at his outburst. "I like trains..too?"

"Great, exclusive class it is then. Next time."

She'd have to work on his outbursts.

"Dewott, check. Pansear, check. Pidove, check. Lillipup, check." White turned to N with a smile. "Everyone's here and accounted for. Thank you so much again."

"Anytime." N said with a smirk. His hands were buried into his pants pockets as the weather was really starting to bite. "I'll see you soon…right?"

"Of course, I won't be gone long." White responded quietly as she adjusted her bag. She rocked on her feet and smiled up nervously. "So um…"

"Er…um…" N turned his head sharply. He was beginning to blush at the awkwardness of it all.

"I guess this is goodbye, for now." White said trying to fill in the gap of silence. N started pouting causing her to smile cheekily. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug.

He was going to lose his first traveling partner for a period of time…He was going to be alone. He might have his friends with him, yet without her presence, he couldn't help but feel lonely. He sighed and wrapped his arms around his waist. With a surge of courage, he pressed White against himself. The warmth that spread through him gave him the biggest smile. "Yeah. Stay safe… ."

"You too, Mr. Harmonia." White jested. As she pulled away she almost landed a kiss on his cheek out of kindness. Yet she chickened out. Quite anticlimactic. Oh shucks.

* * *

><p>The train ride was altogether, pleasant. She got one of the front cars with a well-padded bed, and linen sheets. She placed her bag into the overhead storage and waved at N as the train started to whistle out a digital chime. Her heart ached a bit at leaving her new friend. He was her first travel partner—that wasn't related—, so it just kind of clicked between them.<p>

She was happy to remember to lecture him about calling her often. She detested texting for some reason.

The train rolled out of the underground station, causing a vibration to roll throughout all the cars. The bumpy feeling the seat gave her made her laugh out loud, along with her Pokémon. But as the tracks rose higher, like a rollercoaster, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the bubble in her ear. Seeing her Pokémon freak out at their muted hearing made it worthwhile. Soon, the train was chugging through the trees and at one point, she heard a mother tell her son in another car, that the train was going to rise above the trees, to avoid destruction of Pokémon's homes.

_I bet N would be interested to hear that,_ White mulled over to herself. She smirked bitterly. _I bet he already knows about it…he's so smart. Ugh, I feel like an idiot._

She checked the time. 1 AM…and she was really hungry.

"You guys hungry?"

Dewott, Pansear and Pidove nodded. Lillipup was dozing on the bed, his legs twitching every so often.

"Well it's late night. Time for junk food!" She opened the overhead storage and dragged out her bag. It fell to the floor with a loud _thump,_ in which Lillipup woke up with a jump. "Sorry Lillipup."

He growled a bit before dropping his head down and watching his new friend fetch cookies from her bag.

She tore open the package inside the box and passed out the crème filled cookies.

At the sounds of delight coming from her Pokémon, she decided to delve in too. That's when she heard muffled yelling. She blushed as thoughts ran through her head. What if a couple was taking a train ride and…stuff happened. She moved away from her seat and sat on the floor. The yelling grew louder. That is not what intercourse sounded like. Someone was getting hurt.

"Guys stay here; I'm going to check it out…" If someone was in danger, she wasn't going to sit by and wait until something happened. Just as she opened the door, she found the woman and her son from her door knocked out on the floor. Along with everyone else in her same car.

Everything was happening too fast. Her eyes swiveled around quickly, her arms and legs tensing in the case of an assailant. A grey haired man stood up from a kneeled position and watched White coldly.

"Do you refuse to give us your Pokémon?" He had a rough Russian accent.

"What are you talking—These people—Who are you?!"

The sound of people running forward came from her left. She snapped her head in that direction and found 2 police officers with their Emboar's glaring at the masked man anxiously.

"HALT! Put your Pokémon into their Pokéballs!"

Pidove flew to White's shoulder, whilst Pansear and Dewott took offensive positions beside White.

Another grey hair man came from the control room to stand beside, what appeared to be, his twin. They spoke a language White didn't understand and with a nod, a ticking noise started.

A mysterious looking Pokémon came from behind the one on the left and snapped its fingers. Their images blurred until they had completely vanished. The Pokémon had used Teleport.

"That noise…" The red haired officer murmured urgently.

"It's a bomb."

"A bomb!" White almost yelled.

"I don't know I'm not sure!" The male cop shrieked, running into the control room. The red haired officer ran in after her cohort.

The small boy from before began to rise off the ground. His head had a massive bump that was growing purple. He couldn't have been more than 4 years old.

The ticking grew rapid and continued to echo in White's skull. She lunged for the boy and cradled him beneath her body. He began to cry, and White began to murmur calming things into his ear. Dewott grabbed Lillipup and rushed forward to huddle by White's side. Pidove lowered her wings over all of them and bowed her head.

"I love you guys…" White said. Tears were running down her cheeks freely. As for the boy who was crying, she could only give him false hope. "It's alright. I may be crying but you don't. It's going to be okay."

Only two more clicks until it would go off, and White could hear the cops yelling in fright and praying in the control room. The tears wouldn't stop.

Pansear calmly stepped near them as it was on the final click, spread his arms and closed his eyes. He began to use the move protect.

* * *

><p>The train exploded beneath them all and all White could see was them falling down toward the ground at an alarmingly fast pace. They were enveloped in a bright red force field, yet the boy was slipping from her grip. Her tears flew away from her face as air resistance swiped her out of the protective bubble. The boy cried for her and held his hand out longingly. White was floating upwards yet tried to grasp for his hand.<p>

"DEWOTT GRAB HIM!"

Dewott folded her body around the boy and wrapped herself close to Pidove, Pansear and Lillipup. They all closed their eyes and prayed for their friend.

* * *

><p>White woke up to the smell of burning metal. Some trees had a small patch of fire on them. She looked down and found her leg twisted in the ugliest fashion. The vomit came up all too easily, so she leaned over and wretched. She closed her eyes once more and welcomed the darkness that greeted her.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>No grammar checks toward the second half of this chapter, so forgive me for typos and misspelled words please.<strong>

**I need cover art for this fanfiction, so if someone could draw something real quick, I'd love you FOREVER. I can't use other ferriswheelshipping art because it doesn't work for this story...y'know... :I Awkward, sorry guys, I know.**

**I'm eating, PIZZA RAWR RAWR!**

**Please review, purty please, we can have a tea party or coffee party...whatever floats your boat :D**

**Oh and...Tell me...what you like most about N and the next chapter shall be dedicated to you! ^_^ Nothing special, but hey, your name will be indented into this story, I won't take it down, so WOOHOO.**

**Hope you had fun :D**

**Cliffhangers, I know sorry.**

**I just need to get this updated =_=**

**9.605 Words :O OH NUUU. You guys can live without 400 words right?! Or...no...? **Gets backed into wall and poked with forks****

**This chapter was probably a waste of your time...sorry T^T **RUNS INTO SUNSET AND SHALL NEVER RETURN****


	6. Chapter 6

**Well well well. Guess who? Me!**

**Dedicated to: A la mode & whoever asked me to continue! A lot of people did and I appreciate it :) Muchisimas gracias**

**Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. If I did, the shows animation style wouldn't be so horrible. Ugh, ugly block heads and ish.**

**Enjoy and please review! Bad grammar awaits in the 2nd half woooooooooOOOOooo**

**My tumblr is: taliawinds if you want to follow and ask questions, request fanservice, or anything of that sort. I'd love to chat with you too!**

* * *

><p>Pansear couldn't open his eyes due to the tremors that pulsed through his limp body. His thoughts were jumbled, and as he tried to focus them, he couldn't help but grow frustrated, as if an inner heat was causing an unreasonable anger within his core. The tremors came to a halt, and he took this opportunity to open his left eye slowly. Dim eyes traced the area he was in, and the setting he was in caused a cold shock to run down his usually heated back.<p>

The emerald grass beneath him cupped his body in a delicate embrace, yet strived to make him uncomfortable, with the glacier-cold drops of dew that hung off the tips.

He shivered once more as a small tremor ran through his core. For the first time in a long while, he was cold, so he took this time to sit up and channel his element throughout his veins. The sigh that left his black lips were one of relief. The chill escaped into the air and left him feeling the same.

The trees stood wavering around the grass pasture that he'd dropped in. _Dropped in_.

His head began to throb and as he raised his padded paw to massage a particular spot on his head, he hissed in pain and quickly retracted his paw. A thick layer of blood coated the tip of his paw and just as he blinked, a trail of blood slid its way down between his eyes and over the side of his snout.

Ignoring the pain, he applied pressure to the maimed spot and prayed that it would stop bleeding soon.

He had dealt with worse before, but right now, he needed to focus on finding the others. As he rose to his feet, he was plagued with vertigo and almost fell back down to the ever-waiting embrace of the grass. The sticky-mass of saliva stuck in his throat caused a feeling of nausea to wave through his stomach and up his mouth, producing nothing but a few cold sweats. The impending hunger in his stomach screamed for food, as if he hadn't eaten in days.

_How long have I been out?_

Pansear glanced up at the sky and counted certain balls of gases to determine the amount of days that passed. The result caused his empty stomach to drop even lower than possible. 2 days?

A small motion picture of White, with tears streaming down her face as she yelled for them to hold on tight stuck itself into his head. Then he remembered what happened next, his skill, protect, had gotten smaller all of a sudden due to the turbulence and White got cut off, and flew in a different direction.

"**HEY FLAME-O!"**

_What?_

Pansear looked around, almost frantically. The sound came from the woods? In his peripheral vision, a short, grey blur flew out from the canopy to present itself.

"**Pidove?"**

"**Ok you're alive, thank bloody hell. I can't find the others!"**

Pansear shook his head as Pidove began to land. **"You can fly and have sharp vision; it shouldn't be this hard…"**

"**Don't nitpick! I can only fly above the canopy not in-between. With all those bloody branches in the way I can't see the bottom." **This was the first time that Pidove actually held some sort of inflection in her voice. Pansear smiled at this side of Pidove and felt relieved to know that his friend could actually feel emotions. **"Stop grinning you twit, do you think this is funny?!"**

"**Of course not, sorry, I just—" **Pansear shook his head. **"Never mind, let's just focus on finding everybody. I'll take care of the branches; you scour the area from the skies." **

Pidove hopped from foot to foot as if she was playing hopscotch on lava rocks. Her nerves were eating her alive as she waited there, doing nothing. The skies were calling her. **"You don't seem like the kind of monkey, or baboon—or whatever you are—to leap from branch to branch and such."**

The crimson haired _monkey_, smiled proudly**. "My mother was an Ambipom, while my father was a Simisear. I get my, if I should say so myself, above excellent tree-manipulating skills from my mother. I'll find them soon." ** The usually poker-faced bird tweeted nervously before nodding and springing off the ground with a parachute-like flap.

Pansear took this moment to crack a few bones experimentally and release a wheezy sigh before lowering down to all 4 paws. His eyes scanned the trees in front of him before finding a suitably sturdy sapling. Getting a running start was the first step, so he reared back and bucked forward with all the gusto inside his body.

The tree branch he aimed for grew nearer, and nearer. The tingles of anticipation rushed through him like the time he first began to climb trees. As he neared, his gut told him that it was time to jump, so the monkey obeyed.

A sort of mocking pain punched him in the stomach knocking him back. The air left him, causing him to give off a sort of raspy laugh. He sounded like a bag of rusty bagpipes. It had turned out he'd jumped a bit too late and where his feet was supposed to meet the branch, his stomach decided to instead. Pansear rolled over onto his stomach and gasped as the pain seemed to echo throughout his limbs. He struggled to his feet once more took to climbing up the trunk of the reedy tree instead. His calloused hands dug into the branch gently.

Lowering down onto the aforementioned branch caused Pansear's legs to quake. His nerves were going buck-wild and strove to make him lose his grip. With a weary sigh, Pansear merely shook his oozing head and took off down the forest as quick as he could. The wind was on his side and pushed him forward. The speed caused a dizzy smile to creep onto Pansear's face and in that moment, he knew he'd find White and the others. He had to.

* * *

><p>With eerie moans, the sky urged her onward, almost in a taunting fashion. The wind bit her thin skin even though the bird Pokémon desperately tried to ignore the strong stinging sensation.<p>

She neared the canopy and glided at a slower pace. Much larger Pokémon with stronger flying abilities were carrying their trainers, quite smoothly, over the canopy. Her tongue automatically clicked as a strong feeling of envy filled her mind. Pidove herself was flying quite wobbly; she just couldn't seem to manipulate the air as well as the older Pokémon around her could. As she took closer looks at the various Pokémon, she noted that a majority of the trainers on their back were asleep, leaving the flying Pokémon to move in any direction they pleased. This kind of trust was shared between these people and Pokémon?

Then it hit the small grey Pokémon. She missed White. Sure Pidove had been resistant at first; her freedom had been stripped from her in a mere moment of fear!

_I suppose I'm lucky with how things turned out. I didn't get a rude or abusive trainer. _

Her thoughts broke apart as Braviary's, Swanna's, and Unfezant's swooped by Pidove at an incredibly fast pace. They weren't even breaking a sweat! The air-resistance from their flapping wings thrust Pidove backward, causing her to tumble and cough up some sort of air-residue.

_Fucking pricks…don't know how to fly…_

Their trainers grumbled drowsily while the bird Pokémon snickered at the clumsy trip that Pidove took.

She turned back on her self-coordinated path. The moon showed the way over the top of the forever-green trees. The night was so clear, that Pidove couldn't help but close her eyes and enjoy the feel of the cold air sliding past her. Now that she was relaxed, she could glide smoothly. Her mind became progressively clear and with no sort of thought—just _impulse_—she folded her wings and dove down into the mass of trees. A sort of indestructible energy charged around her, and a wisp of air beside her formed as sharp as a blade. Several branches snapped loudly, causing a numbing sound to vibrate through Pidove's skull. Leaves flew off abruptly and clouded her vision. She wobbled a bit and her blade of air disappeared as fast as it had come. A weight on her back caused her to do an automatic flip up into the air. Her exit through the canopy allowed her a breath of fresh air as she was met with the relaxing aura of the night sky.

"**Well thank fucking Arceus!"**

Her head did a 180 degree spin. There on her back was a sniveling little pooch that had the mouth of a sailor. A sailor that had been out to see for 30 years. His eyes were red and droopy, showing that he'd been crying only a few minutes ago. The tiny tremors he gave off left the impression that the cold had gotten to him long before she had swooped down upon him—literally. She automatically decided to fill the silence. **"This may sound a bit hard to believe, but trust me, I'm glad to see you."**

"**Well of course you are!"** Lillipup sneezed once and shook his head. **"I miss White, so damn much."**

"**I've got to agree with you there…"**

Lillipup stared at the sky for a moment before curling up into a ball. **"It's really lucky how you just swooped down like that. I could have sworn I'd never get down." **Pidove merely nodded in agreement before telling Lillipup the tale of how her flock unlocked the natural ability of learning the move, _Aerial Ace_. The task of telling a tale to lure Lillipup to sleep, and enduring rough turbulences to ensure that Lillipup was _able _to fall asleep was a difficult task altogether. At the climax of the story she had mastered flying with a passenger, and Lillipup had long fallen asleep.

After a few smooth moments of sailing, a roaring flame caught Pidove's attention. With her new-found ability, Pidove enveloped herself within an indestructible energy. She folded her wings in such a way that it protected the snoring Lillipup from air-resistance and excess noises. She was beginning to care a bit too much for the pooch. The flame in the distance grew a bit more before disappearing in a flash. A blade of air grew by her side as she hovered. The blade whistled, and Pidove was off. It cut through the air leaving only a smooth airlock of speed for Pidove to soar through, and she couldn't help but smirk. The bird was a speeding bullet, with nothing to stop her. She'd learn to love this move.

* * *

><p>Drops of water fell from Dewott's whiskers as she ran a meditative paw over the young boys' forehead. His breathing was even, and nothing inside of him was broken. All was well and Dewott herself only suffered a small bruise on her back, from where she took the fall for the boy. Her friend was currently heating up a pot of soup, all the while signaling a small flame that would be visible to their flying friend, Pidove. Who should be arriving shortly? She could only pray for what happened to Lillipup. She would have to search, with a full party, for him in the morning.<p>

The boy in front of her grumbled to himself before rolling over onto his side. Dewott allowed herself a loose sigh of relief. **"Thank God…"**

"**You seem to know what you're doing,"** Pansear acknowledged with a tilted head nod. Dewott shrugged and plopped down in front of the raised pot that bristled over the growing fire beneath it.

"**You managed to find a pot and a can of soup?"**

"**I reckon it was from that there train crash. Some interesting stuff catches in the trees…you just gotta look."**

Dewott smiled loosely before abruptly grasping at her head and groaning. **"You get a concussion or somethin', Dewott?" **Pansear asked tensely, making sure to throw the remaining kindle into the inferno before attending to Dewott.

"**I'm fine…White's in a lot of pain though. We have to find her soon." **

"**And you guys share some sort of emotional telepathy or somethin'?"**

She moved her paw side to side to show that she wasn't 100 percent sure of anything yet. Pansear took a moment to study her face for a moment, until his eyes grew murky. Just as Dewott was about to ask what was wrong, Pansear formed a protective ginger sphere around them and the boy. A loud whistle thundered by her ear. Pansear held her close and inched toward the slumbering boy. A drizzle of feathers littered the ground in a matter of seconds.

"**Hello everybody…" **Came an elegant voice that radiated assurance.

Dewott rushed forward, breaking Pansear's protect. She embraced Pidove tightly. The small bird Pokémon clucked in affection before unfolding her wings and returning Dewott's hug. A little ball of white and brown fur caught Dewott's attention as soon as her friends' wings withdrew from her back.

"**Lillipup is that you?"**

"**No shit…" **He whimpered a bit before jumping off Pidoves' back to embrace Dewott fiercely.

The otter Pokémon allowed herself a loose smile before turning to watch as Pansear and Pidove embraced also. Lillipup hopped out of her arms and skipped over to the small pot of boiling soup. **"When's the food going to be ready?"**

Pansear snapped out of his stupor and turned to check the soup. After adding a few more embers to the flame with a snap of his fingers, he turned to the young canine. **"In about 5 minutes. It's good to see you still have an appetite little man."**

"**Yeah, I always will!" **And for a second you could catch a glimpse of childish adoration in Lillipup's eyes as he watched Pansear with wonder. Pansear was the strongest one in the group. That fact alone made Lillipup wonder how long it would take until he reached his level.

After a bit of chattering with the whole group, Dewott and Pansear set to making a big enough shelter. Pidove flew off to gather more kindle, and Lillipup stayed behind to watch over the boy and the soup.

It was silent in the campsite and a cold draft that leaked through the cracks of canopy threatened to whiff out their flame. After deciding that watching the soup wouldn't help it cook faster, Lillipup left his post to curl up beside the boy with chocolate colored hair.

In the darker moments of the evening, the wind mumbled its vociferous complaints throughout the few hours that the team had split up. Though most of the team had a grimace on their face—asides for Pansear who was impervious as always—they managed to set up a large sort of tent made of woven branches and grass. To add on the finishing touches, Pansear would scoop up some of the dry earth into his hands and hold it out in front of him. Dewott would then fill her cheeks and blow gently into the dying bits off earth until it grew moist with life. The fire monkey would then slap it on the building to keep the wind from breaking through the cracks in the wall; the whole process would repeat for about 30 minutes. The night was sprinting toward them, and daylight was falling far behind.

* * *

><p><em>I'm dying.<em>

The thought just seemed to pop into her head and grumble around every few minutes. Her whole body was numb, yet a distant thought reminded her of the intense pain that had crunched her mind into darkness. The area around her was a pitch black that seemed to glow; it caused a sort of realization to pop into White's head. She was in the _inbetween_. Her mother used to tell her stories of how distant relatives or Pokémon would fall critically ill and temporarily visit the _inbetween, _until their body healed or their brain shut down. Being scared of death wasn't exactly an option for her anymore. The pitch dark room began to spin around rapidly, causing a humid breeze to whip around the area that White was in. Without a thought, she plopped down onto her butt and pulled her knees up to her chin. It was frustrating not being able to see what was there, and she knew her eyes were open.

"It's so warm…" She mumbled softly. Her eyelids lowered as her hands ran over her jean-covered legs. "It's hard to breathe…"

"Then open your mouth and take a loud gulp!" Crowed a hysterical voice from in front of her.

White spazzed a bit before leaping up to her feet. She was relieved to be able to stand. She could have sworn that when she fell from the high train, she'd twisted her leg in a grotesque fashion. After a brief moment of twisting her leg around, the sharp click-clack of high-heeled shoes notified White that someone was coming towards her. "Who are you?"

"Aww, you've met me before! With your handsome little brother."

Just as White was about to respond with a confused response, it hit her. The voice belonged to the old woman that she had met in the ludicrously tall grass. "I remember you…

"You gave me Lillipup as a reward…for standing my ground against you in that Pokémon battle…"

"Ah, sharp memory." The crackly voice cooed innocently. "This is quite a sad encounter if I should say so myself…the _inbetween_ is meant for the ones with a short life ahead of them. That or you're already dead!" She cackled sidesplittingly before clearing her throat. "Sorry that's really not that funny."

White felt a lump grow in her throat. "What happened to you? Why are you here?" Her knees shook chaotically, along with her arms. Her body sprouted an inhuman sort of heat that seared her body. The confusion that squelched all comprehension in her brain frustrated her incredibly, not helping her situation in the slightest.

The old woman click-clacked nearer before grabbing White precipitously. "Take a deep breath dearie…you're going to live." White let out a defeated sigh before muffling her mouth into the warm shoulder of the plump older woman. "I know you're going to live because I visit this world freely. This ability has come to me through many life and death experiences. I know this place like the back of my hand. The dark walls that you see are crystal-clear and beautiful to me."

The woman's coarse strands of hair tickled the sides of White's face. The spinning walls made it increasingly difficult to breathe. This factor alone caused White to gape for oxygen. "You've been through many life and death situations?"

"Yes…"

"How are you sure I'm going to live?"

"I suppose you can call me the grim-reaper of this domain."

White pushed herself away from the older woman. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm really confused."

"Dearie, get all those stereotypes out of your head." White could sense the older woman waving her hand about in absurd gesticulations. "I don't go after people to make sure someone dies. That's not my job. I simply decide whether they pass on or remain living—unless of course their body has been mutilated because it would look really freaky if you saw a decapitated person walking around."

The young brunette shivered and backed away quickly until she met the spinning wall that twirled her around without mercy. "How long…have you been doing this?"

"Now-now, it's not appropriate to ask a lady's age~" White could hear the cheekiness in the woman's voice.

_So she's been doing this since birth…_

"Why do I get to live?"

The room stopped spinning, and a thick form of tension filled the room. A loud snap echoed, followed by a calming light that brightened up the area. With the source of light unknown to White, she found that the light came from outside of the room. The seemingly black cube of death was a crystal greenhouse. A tea-room—surrounded by rare plants—that held very modern décor. The only thing in the room that was not a creamy white was a teapot resting on a coffee-table. It was a finely sculpted teakettle with an Eevee design.

"Won't you sit down? We can have some tea or whatever suits your fancy."

White was stuck. Here she was in the supposedly "terrifying" _inbetween_. How terrifying was a place supposed to be if the host offered you tea? "Uh…um…"

"I'll take that as a yes," The grim reaper said courteously. "What kind of tea do you like?" She scurried toward a cabinet and propped up a stool.

"…I like it black…"

"We're not drinking coffee, dearie." Cici grumbled impatiently, "a sort of tea, please."

"Black…" The brunette repeated, her throat burning. "Black. Tea."

Cici's eyes narrowed for a few seconds until she let out a sharp laugh. "My, oh my, I thought you were talking about coffee, then your brother, and oh my, I'm an idiot!"

Aquamarine eyes flashed upwards quickly before averting to the side. Silence might be her best option at the moment. "You're a quiet teenager. My granddaughter won't keep her trap shut when she chats with me. Always rambling about dragon-type Pokémon, _ay dios mio_. I know more about dragon types than I want to know, I tell you what!"

"…I see…"

"Listen child, I don't mean any harm okay? I'm not heartless."

The chocolate-brown haired girl nodded stiffly. "I'm just at a loss really…I don't have a clue what to say. I miss my friends, my brother, my Pokémon…" She sighed and without thinking, slumped down into an uncomfortable Klismo chair. The sleek wood felt cold underneath her elbows. "I'm in this place…spiritually right?"

"Yes." Cici answered as she sat down in a slipper chair adjacent to hers. "Your body is currently in a forest."

White raised a bruised hand to scratch at her temple. Her curly hair was probably seriously matted; she refrained from tugging on her spring-like curls. "Wasn't the forest on fire?"

"Don't worry; the fire shouldn't reach your body…anytime soon…"

"Okay, I really don't—um—shouldn't I get back to my body—to prevent being burnt soon and—ugh…" White shoved her face in her hands. "This sounds really ridiculous."

"Everything must sound ridiculous. Oh—our tea is ready," A Celebi suddenly popped up from behind Cici's couch, holding a wide tray full of snacks and their respective tea cups. Cici petted the Celebi, once it had placed the tray down on the coffee table. This caused the green legendary to squeal in delight and vanish in a flash of green light. "What a delightful little Pokémon. He visits me all the time, hoping to snag some of my famous mint-chip cookies."

White had remained wide-eyed in the whole period that the lime-colored Pokémon had appeared. "That…wow I must be tripping…that was a Celebi?!"

"Yes my dear, all the legendary Pokémon come visit me. I groom them and feed them, and it's all a nice service. "Cici smoothly picked up a tall teacup and a saucer piled high with a range of different cookies. "Go ahead and get a drink dear, we have some time for me to explain why you're going to live."

As soon as the words left Cici's mouth, White snatched up the remaining cup. She wanted answers. Quickly. She sipped her cup quietly for extra effect.

"Do you believe in legends?"

"Yes." White answered quickly. There was no beating around the bush in this moment.

"Well, you must be familiar with the Pokémon champions from other regions." Cici reasoned. "Their names are colors. Most young people would find those sorts of names weird because—well, they don't respect legends nearly as much anymore."

"I highly doubt my mother naming me after a color means I'm a thing of legend if that's what you're saying."

"I thought you said you believed in legends?"

White cleared her throat in apology and nodded for the older woman to continue. "As I was saying, you'll be taking part in a great system, between two legendary dragons. Your goal will be to help the person closest to you. The world does not revolve around you, but merely what you do to help it."

"No pressure of course."

"Of course not."

The courageous brunette set aside her empty cup of tea and rested her elbow on the arm rest, her chin cupped in her palm. "So Black is actually the person of legend. I'm supposed to help him…in whatever he needs help in?"

"Yupperooo~"

"Alright…" White established with a determined grimace. "But something has been on my mind since I've came…" The older woman bit into a soft cookie before nodding happily for White to continue. "You've said that going after someone to make sure they die, wasn't your job. Whose job is it?"

Cici laughed and dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "Ah, the noobie. Death had long retired—that was his nickname. Sweet soul went to go vacation over in Kanto. Something about making Lavender Town a livelier place. The noobie however is a very kind young man. You might have seen him around, you're from Unova right? I tend to lose track of the regions every now and then—anyway! He has the most absurd hairdo. I just want to take a pair of scissors and go snip-snip, know what I mean? The hair color though is simply lovely, a sort of green!"

White froze and plucked a triple chocolate cookie from the tray in front of her. "How-how long was his hair now?"

"Towards his lower back, ugh, he's the male Rapunzel. If that doesn't ring a bell, his full name is Natural Harmonia Gropius."

The prickle that ran along White's spine gave her a sense of hope. Maybe there was some other guy in the universe with a natural ponytail and green hair. Natural Harmonia Gropius was pretty common name right? The only guy she knew with a long ponytail was named N. Not Natural. Weird names were common these days.

"Did I tell you one of the perks of visiting the inbetween?"

"I don't believe so."

"Every time you visit the inbetween, you're granted a special gift. Maximum of three gifts really. After that, you're free to visit this place as you wish!"

White coughed a bit into her palm. "Not that I would mind coming here to visit you and all ma'am, it's just that, I don't want to have two more life-or-death experiences."

"Ah! You put me in ridiculous dilemma!" She tapped her chin quizzically. "Since you are child of legend, I give you natural ability to come here. Just meditate, or fall asleep. Your decision. I won't pry in your dreams. Oh you can control what you dream too! This is rare for a human to do this every night."

"Lucid dreaming." White answered nonchalantly.

"Ah…yes…" Cici sweat dropped. Looks like the tacked on gift wasn't all too special. "Along with that ability, your main ability will be being to talk to other Pokémon. This will help you get out of the forest. With that said, I bid you, adieu~"

* * *

><p>The air that filled her lungs burned and caused havoc inside of her chest. She groaned loudly and tried to roll over, that is, until she noticed her leg. It was twisted so severely that without even thinking, White grabbed it and snapped it back into place. The scream that left her vocal chords was inevitable. To her surprise, no tears would fall from her eyes. The burning sensation that usually accompanied her tears was nowhere to be seen. Her only verdict was that she had run out of tears.<p>

"Hello…" She coughed a bit before glancing around. Breathing was incredibly difficult, it almost felt as if something inside of her chest was flowing. Inner bleeding was the only likely cause. "Can…can someone…Oh God…" She hung her head and let out a painful sigh. The trees around her sizzled and croaked as the flames on top of them burned away at the canopy, coming nearer toward the bottom of the forest floor. A few branches collapsed and spread the flame further along the forest floor. White flinched and tried to drag herself a few feet to no avail. A distant clopping caught her attention, and as she turned her head, a dazzle of Zebstrika's and Blitzle's sprinted by her, instantly starting to stomp the fire out.

_Let's give this a shot…see if I can really talk to Pokémon._

"Um, hello…ugh—EXCUSE ME?!" The dazzle of Pokémon froze and backed up a few steps, watching White carefully. _Shit…I didn't mean to scare you guys._

**"You didn't," **A Zebstrika stepped forward and bowed his head before running his eyes over her injured body. **"You are injured."**

_Yeah—um—long story and…_

**"I shall assist you. Not every human is granted with such a gift of being able to talk to Pokémon. I'd be honored to carry you upon my back. Whatever destination you wish, woman of legend."**

_You know about the legend too?_

**"Arceus has told us tales in the twilight hours. He sent us to this location. I will accompany you on your journey."**

White watched him for a moment, her vision swaying. He seemed to smile and slowly started to melt his hardened features. White slumped over and coughed a bit of blood into her hands. "Thank you."

**"Leader, now is the time I depart." **Zebstrika called back from where he stood. The leader trotted over and helped levy White onto Zebstrikas' back. **"Thank you for the assistance."**

** "Why do you have to speak so proper all the time?"** The leader snorted, nudging Zebstrika a bit. **"Don't come back alright? We'll be fine. You've got to protect this girl though. Get her to a human Pokémon Center. If she is really the Woman of Legend or whatever the hell you've been rambling about these past few weeks, she's bound to have some Pokémon companions nearby. Find em. Carry em. You're a big strong boy." **The Leader teased the final sentence.

Zebstrika trotted out a bit before nodding and nipping the Leader in the side. **"Farewell." **The dazzle behind him murmured their goodbyes as well. Zebstrika cleared his throat and asked White gently to hold onto his fur. White complied and used all her strength to dig into the soft black and white pelt around his neck. After backing up a few steps, Zebstrika went off, the sound of thunder echoing in his wake. The sand that built up behind him flew away at his incredible speed. White was left in awe, cooing delirious compliments toward the larger Pokémon.

_I can't believe I can talk to Pokémon._

**"That would make two of us," **Zebstrika chuckled. **"Seeing as how your injuries are serious, I shall strive to find the closest source of steady shelter. Is that alright?"**

_That's fine. My other friends are stuck out here though._

**"I shall retrieve them after I find you somewhere to lie down. Are they human or Pokémon?"**

_A small boy and 4 other Pokémon. The boy is really young, no more than 4-5 years old I believe…he's got really dark brown hair. A Dewott, Pidove, Pansear, and Lillipup should be hanging around the boy somewhere. _

**"That doesn't seem too bad. I'll find them soon."**

White studied Zebstrika's long, thick neck before turning her gaze to stare at the passing scenery. No tree looked the same, even though they were all rushing by her at incredible speeds. "What a pretty forest." She then blacked out.

* * *

><p>"This evening on Unova News, a local disaster has a forest quivering in flames…"<p>

"Ugh the news," Clara drawled. In one swift move, she leaned over N to grab the remote from him. N smiled teasingly at her and snatched it back. "No-no, I want to watch another movie…" She gave him a smooch on the lips and grabbed the remote back, taking the moment to flip through the channels to another movie network. "Aww yes, Rise of the Guardians!"

N adjusted himself so that she could sit on his lap more comfortably. "This is the…4th time we've seen this film?" Clara folded the large blanket around them before nodding happily. "So that means this will be the 4th time you're going to cry over that boy seeing Jack Frost." The azure-haired lady wiggled on his lap a bit before sniffing knowingly.

"It's a _really _touching moment, N."

"Say what you'd like," N responded, folding his arms behind his neck. "Aren't you going to get some popcorn? I've never seen you watch a movie without it."

"I've switched to pizza," Clara mumbled as the opening credits started up. "You like pizza don't you?" N hummed a yes before wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into her soft shoulder. "Don't fall asleep on me, N! The movie just started and you just got back from your liberation journey or whatever!"

"It's been a long week, Clara…" N grumbled lazily as he withdrew his arms and reached for a nearby rubix cube. "Don't I deserve to sleep?"

"Do you have insomnia or something?"

"I guess you could say that." A knock at the door grabbed N's attention. "Come in."

A grunt with sleep in his eyes lazily stepped through the door and set a large, olive covered pizza on a stand in front of them.

Clara eagerly reached over to grab a slice. Her humongous curls jumping up and down as she moved. "Thanks, Edgar."

"You are very welcome," Edgar responded quietly before turning to N with an urgent foot-tap. "May I speak with you in private, Lord N?"

N tapped Clara's side for her to move. "That's fine—I'll be right back, Clara."

"Ugh my butt is cold now," Clara mumbled cutely before scooting off of N. "Can you get me something to drink when you come back?"

The tall male nodded and planted a smooth kiss on the side of Clara's face. "If I come back and see you on tumblr, I'm going to turn off the movie, alright?"

"Why must you always threaten me?! You know I always live-blog when I watch movies…"

* * *

><p>"Is there a problem?" N asked curiously, stretching his arm across his chest. Stretching was his symbol of complete relaxation, as his comfy 'high-class' pajamas seemed to relax him.<p>

"Yes, that and you seemed ready to pass out during movie-time with Clara."

"Haha, yes. I really can't stand watching movies more than 3 times. Besides that, what's happened?"

Edgar rubbed at his left eye furiously before answering. "I have come to tell you the results of Lord Ghetsis's plans. They have succeeded, and the President of Unova has been killed."

N froze before studying Edgar up and down. The dark-skinned male in front of him crossed his arms and yawned, the long bang covering his right eye bobbing with the movement. "You aren't kidding…are you Edgar?"

"Wouldn't you be informed of this already?"

"I-I…where is Ghetsis?"

"He went off with some men to dispose of the President's body before anyone finds out. Man this is some deep shit, I'm not even comfortable talking about this stuff. The President had a wife and kids man, this is some straight A bullshit."

N took a deep breath before nodding and freezing. "I agree with you. How was he killed?"

"His train was bombed. The Shadow Triad's work for sure."

"You are positive that they are the ones who have done the act?"

"I used to be a part of the Shadow Triad, N. I know their work. Hell, I bet I can tell you the exact time, and what kind of bomb they used." Edgar fished a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it with a pocket lighter he had drawn out of his back pocket. "But the President…I don't feel too good about this, N. I've been with you through some A-Class shit, and I don't know if I can handle this anymore."

N felt his throat clench. "Those lung-killers won't do you any good." He held out his hand, and Edgar placed the cigarette into it. "You are…a very close friend of mine. I don't want you quitting on me, alright?"

"I never said I'd quit," The brunet mumbled, stretching his arm muscles. "I'm only in this Team Plasma stuff because you've been a friend of mine since the orphanage. Let's quit talking about this sappy-ass friendship though. I might choke a little bit on all those sugar filled tears you're spouting off." N wiped at his eyes in confusion. "Just kidding man, you aren't really crying. But when you do cry you are ugglllyyy."

"Ah, I've noticed." N sweat-dropped before checking his Xtransceiver. "Hm."

Edgar peered curiously over N's shoulder. "You ain't cheating on Clara or nothin'? You're acting suspicious man."

"I wouldn't cheat," N responded quietly before snapping his Xtransceiver shut. "I'm just worried about my frien—companion. She hasn't called me."

"No texts either?"

"She doesn't like texting." N answered.

Edgar raised a bushy-eyebrow before humming in confusion. "A girl that doesn't like texting…weird."

"Don't be sexist."

"Don't be defensive you arse," Edgar punched N lightly with a smirk. "You have to introduce me to her one day. You usually don't give two-cents about people—except me of course, you worship the ground I walk on." N glared half-heartedly. "Ack, calm down. You're usually never this worked up. Missing out on sleep or something?"

With a thump, N had slumped against and wall and moaned in affirmation. "I don't like going to sleep either. Cici always bothers me about when I'm going to send the unjust to death early. I hate this 'duty'."

"Yeah your little side job still freaks me out."

"Sucks to be death."

"Sucks to suck," Edgar added on childishly, earning a saddened smile from N. "Look, we should hang out soon. Bring that little lady friend of yours. We can go Nature Riding again. We haven't done that since we were 15."

N nodded slowly, massaging his throat lightly. "I'm honestly thinking about the President at the moment. Do you have anything left to tell me?"

"I have something else to give you," The dark-skinned man responded seriously. His stance was once again rigid, and professional. He dug into his shirt pocket and withdrew a folded up document. "Here." He held it out to N and once it was in his grasp, walked away with a nod.

* * *

><p>"You've been gone for a while." Clara said quietly, too enraptured in her movie to pay too much attention. "Is everything alright?"<p>

"Well…" N sat down on the sofa and unfolded the document. "At the moment, I don't feel like things are going right." Clara studied his face for a moment before wrapping the fleece blanket around them both again. The aura was peaceful, and N was glad to have Clara beside him. She made him happy, ecstatic even. Though her motives were quite debauched at the times, she brought him a sense of joy.

Her honey-colored eyes darted from the screen to him before finally setting on the screen.

"Did you hear about the train, N?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Where did you hear it from?"

"I turned to the news," she felt his surprised gaze on the back of her head and flushed. "Hey, hey, I can watch the news too y'know!"

N couldn't even muster a smile, as he turned over the document in his hands before reading it. The guilt that wrenched at his heart was almost too much to bear. The poor President. The one had a family and kids. Who had millions of Pokémon enslaved within the royal houses yard's. Who didn't even know how to run a region correctly. The guilt that N once had had flew out the window.

"The President has gone missing too. The region is in a panic!" Clara exclaimed half-heartedly before turning toward her laptop to check on her tumblr.

"Uhuh," N muttered, holding the document closer to his face. _Train number 1685…that seems familiar. _Just as N thought he would finally be able to retire for the night after reviewing the document, his heart dropped once more. The cold feeling that erupted in his chest knocked the wind out of him, causing him to gasp. "I-I, oh my god…this is horrible. Fuu—" His eyes darted to Clara. "Fudge. Fudge. I need to go, Clara. Something terrible has happened, my friend was on that train and I need to leave, this minute."

Clara darted up from her seat. "Oh-okay! Um- come back safe, okay? Don't do anything too stupid. I hope she's okay."

N hugged Clara tightly and kissed her neck lightly before grabbing his wallet and darting out the door.

* * *

><p>"Hello…um…lady?"<p>

White was up in a matter of seconds. Her eyes darted about the room she was in. It was dark, pitch dark outside from what she could see outside the window that was beside the cot she laid on. A little boy nudged her arm softly to get her attention. The second White turned toward the boy; she was enraptured by his eyes. He was possibly no more than 12, with ruffled hair that stood at all ends and a solemn face. With eyes that held the murkiest brown she'd seen in ages, he reminded her of Black when he was young.

"Are you thirsty or hungry?" The boy asked quietly. It was almost too quiet for her to hear. "We have tea…and macaroni."

For some odd reason, White didn't respond and merely studied the boy's face. The boy grew nervous and fidgeted. His sister and he never had visitors. Their mother was supposed to come from her trip but was far too late. Now a strange teenager was staring ominously into his soul.

"My name is Nate…if that's what you wanted to know."

"Nate…" White repeated to herself. "Black."

"Nate." The boy quickly said once more, as if trying to establish his name. "Drink?"

Her head pounded briefly. "Yes, please." Nate nodded and quickly ran down the narrow wooden stairs in the corner of the room. The aura grew colder in the room as soon as the boy left. It left White feeling empty, and feeling empty made her realize how much she needed, Bianca, Cheren, or Black by her side. She'd even feel better if N was there. The brunette had many questions for N though, so their time together wouldn't be all too relaxed.

Light footsteps that made the old stairs creak tiredly alerted her that Nate had returned. As he quickly strode over to White, a few droplets from the cup in his hand flew. He paused and winced as it sunk into the beige carpet. A barely audible apology was heard from the boy, as if he was apologizing to the floor. White couldn't help but grin in delight at the innocent action. It reminded her of when Black would bump into chairs or tables and blurt out sorry, at the least, 3 times.

"Here's some White Tea, it's supposed to help with…" Nate's eyes lowered in thought before he shrugged off the thought and handed White the glass. "Help with something I suppose."

"Help with thirst," White added with a small smile. She took a large gulp, which resulted in her coughing harshly. "Sorry, I just sprayed tea everywhere."

"It's alright," Nate responded. "My sister told me that you were having some—uh—chest issues."

White smiled softly at the fact that he didn't even blush when he said chest, unlike other boys around his age that she knew. "Yes, I broke my leg, and I'm pretty sure I have internal bleeding somewhere around my lungs."

Another set of feet lunging up the stairs caught White's attention. Nate didn't bother turning his head, even though loud audible gasps were heard coming from the entity that was bounding up the stairs.

"Sorry I'm late!"

"That's fine," The dark-chocolate-eyed boy responded. "I think we should get White to a hospital soon." White raised a confused eyebrow. "When did I—"

"You were muttering your name and a bunch of other names as you were asleep," The girl responded nonchalantly before bounding over towards White and handing her a bowl of steaming hot bowl of buttered macaroni. "My name is Rosa. Nate is my twin brother. It's a pleasure to meet you, while you're awake!"

White could only smile at the two. The odd happiness that grew in her chest, ignoring her current predicament, was overwhelming. "It's very nice to meet you all." She sighed happily and mushed her fork around in the bowl. "Thank you, for taking me in…" She took a bite and forced it down. It was tasty and warm and went down with little restraint. "I have a little brother…holder than you guys by a few years I think."

"We're twelve years old." Nate answered, pulling over a tall chair and sitting backwards on it so he faced White. "How old is your brother."

"He's fourteen," White said confidently, happy to know that she guessed they're ages correctly.

Rosa jumped up a bit in delight before deciding to twirl on her heels. The spinning caused her long ponytails to twirl around her like a gymnast's ribbons. "I'd like to meet him if that's okay!"

Nate's hair rustled with his sister's movement. "I have a question to ask, if that's alright." White nodded and scooped some more noodles into her mouth. "You were part of the train explosion…weren't you?

White's now navy-blue eyes stiffened before relaxing, her eyelids sliding halfway. "Yes I was."

"Our mother was on that train." Rosa said solemnly, taking a seat besides Nate on the floor. "We don't think she survived."

The older brunette froze and gulped. She closed her eyes and took a long, dragged-out breath. When she opened her wide eyes again, she wasn't surprised to see the twins crying silently on the floor. Rosa's face was rumpled, like a paper bag, while Nate's face was held with a bit more composure. "Nate, Rosa…" Rosa shook her head quickly and sobbed louder. "Come here, please…"

Rosa stood, her ponytails swinging forward and back quickly with the movement. She walked forward a bit and embraced White tightly. White tried to hold back a wince as Rosa wrapped her arms tightly around her chest. "We don't know what we're going to do, Ms."

White's eyes traveled to Nate, who was wiping at his eyes roughly. After drying his face with the edge of his shirt, Nate nodded in agreement. "Child protective services are going to find out about us soon. We're going to either be put up for adoption or a foster home…again."

"Again?" White rubbed Rosa's back calmly.

"We are orphans," Nate began quietly. "The mother we lost in the train accident wasn't really our mother."

"She was very nice to us," Rosa choked on the lump in her throat. It only added more tears to her eyes. "She adopted another boy. That's why she went away, so she could go get him, and add him to our family. She promised us a family."

"We were excited." Nate finished. His hands curled in his lap with the tension wracking his body. "Nothing really works in our favor anymore." Rosa glanced at Nate before nodding, hesitantly, in agreement. "Now, we don't want another family. Why do people need a family anyway? We can live just fine on our own. We're not little kids anymore."

The blue-eyed female nodded and shifted over a bit so Rosa could sit on the cot beside her. "You guys aren't kids, that's true." At this point, White could see a deep bloom of respect grow in the twin's eyes. "I've lived on my own…taking care of my little brother. I started taking care of him at a very young age, now that I remember."

Rosa sighed and wrung her hands in her hair. "How come?"

"My father left us, and my mother died due to self-starvation and depression."

Nate and Rosa's face fell. Almost in unison they said their condolences.

"It's alright you guys," White said hurriedly. "My grandmother actually took charge of us as her guardian…but just left one day. So CPS didn't really bother us—thank goodness—but we did struggle to live on our own. Our town wasn't pretty or full of life. In fact, it's incredibly small and ghetto."

The twin's looked at each other before smiling a small smile. "So if we could get someone to become our guardian…and _leave _we could live on our own?"

White wanted to sweat drop. Anime-style. "I highly don't recommend living on your own. You guys are still minors, and if there really is no one to take care of you guys, I'd be happy to."

"You don't look like an adult though…Ms." Nate objected politely. He liked White, a lot. But legal terms seemed to get in the way a majority of the time.

"Ah, but I know someone who is!" White said cheerfully as she scooped large spoonful's of macaroni into her mouth. "It'll be fine, okay? I'll figure it out."

* * *

><p>Their meeting was immediately started with tight hugs. Black seemed to hover protectively over her while she patted his back comfortingly.<p>

"White, I seriously can't believe what happened!" Black mumbled as he straightened up. "We need to get you to a hospital, have you been here long?"

"No not really. I do think I've been knocked out for two days, so I really should get to the hospital." White said plainly while thinking sorely to herself. _Man I sound really stupid. But if I am the "woman of legend" I shouldn't be able to die right? Right. Yayy. Wow I can't even think straight. I need to get to that hospital_

Black opened his Xtransceiver, which happened to be the latest model, not yet released in stores. White eyed it suspiciously, earning an oblivious shrug and hum from her younger brother. Nate and Rosa watched curiously as Black typed some characters into his device before snapping it shut. The tall male sighed and turned toward the younger pre-teens. "Thank you for taking care of White."

Rosa blushed and slightly shuffled so that half of her body was hid behind Nate. "It's no problem." Nate merely nodded and studied Black intensely.

"We need to come back her," White said to Black as she redid her ponytail. "We have some business to clear up, is that okay?"

"Yeah sure," Black responded as he carefully lifted White into a baby-cradling position. "Let's get your leg and chest repaired first."

"And my Pokémon?" White asked tiredly as Black began to stride towards the stairs, followed by Nate and Rosa.

"They're out in the garden!" Nate chimed. "They can stay here until you come back."

Rosa nodded solemnly and waved a farewell towards White before leaving out the back entrance of the cottage, which White supposed led toward the backyard. Nate eyed Black one more time before giving White a more cheerful goodbye. He followed after Rosa, and slammed the door behind him.

Just as Black was about to exit out the front door, he froze and turned to look at White. "Is it just me…or do those kids freak you out a little?"

"They lost their mother Black…"

"Alright now I feel like a bad person." Black huffed. "Sorry if I feel intimidated by 12 year olds glaring holes into my back like I'm some kind of side-attraction."

White studied Black's face until a giant goofy smile broke out onto her face. His hair had grown out even more in a short while, leaving him with the typical celebrity in training look. She rested her head against his chest and sighed. "How did you know I was here and stuff?"

"Well you have your Xtransceiver, so those kids messaged me on it. Apparently, I'm under 'little twerp', so they thought that was another key word for brother."

"I'm glad they got a hold of you."

Black only nodded and proceeded out the door. "You really had me worried, White…"

She smiled up at him in apology. "Sorry…I should have tried to message you sooner."

"Not just that," Black said softly, taking a minimized Pokéball from his back pocket. "It's this traveling with N thing. I don't like him White. Weren't we supposed to not like the same people or something?"

"N is a sweetheart though!" White exclaimed in protest. "If you guys would get to know each other you wouldn't feel this way. He didn't even make you release Drilbur, c'mon. He's too nice."

"It's just a feeling," Black said once more, ever more softly. He maximized the Pokéball, and threw it into the air with great proficiency. He was used to the trainer shin-dig now. The ball opened and in a blinding ray came a cawing Braviary. He was much bigger than Cheren's Unfezant. So big, that the tall eagle Pokémon intimidated White.

_Please don't drop me…_White pleaded toward the eagle Pokémon.

**Wouldn't dream of it, cupcake. **Braviary retorted stoically. His gaze only set straight ahead of him.

"Whoa, that was kind of cool!" Black cheered.

"What?"

He made a couple of circular motions with a tilt of his chin. "Your eyes got like, really dark then really light again. It was pretty legit."

White gazed at her leg in fear and nodded. "Can we hurry now Black—UGH I SEE THE LIGHT!"

"That really isn't funny."

* * *

><p>"White—White—Wakey wakey!"<p>

White blinked drowsily and grumbled for whomever that was calling her name to go away. The pleading for her to wake up continued to pester until White just gave up and stared straight ahead. Blonde locks and wide grass-green eyes stared back at her.

"Bianca?"

"Oh, I've missed you, you crazy badass!" Without a chance to react, Bianca had forcefully picked White up from off the bed and had embraced her tightly. White winced and noticed her broken leg was casted and hanging up high in a sling. Her chest was also now bandaged with a baggy, plain red shirt on top.

"I've missed you too…" After White finished returning the hug, she noticed Cheren in the corner of the room, playing a game on his PSP. "Cheren, come give me a hug!" He let out a fake moan before happily hopping up and hugging her even tighter than Bianca had.

Bianca laughed and patted her blonde hair. "Don't break her, Cheren!" She wiped a stray tear away.

"Blah, blah, blah." Cheren snipped back at her.

After hours of chatting and catching up, White found out news of what had caused the train explosion, and in those hours, she was mortified. Yet in the same moment, she was shocked. The serious discussion closed and they were soon back to laughing about old memories and new stories. White's stomach grumbled in the midst of a story about Cheren and how his love of banana's and slippery substances got him into a disturbing situation. Bianca immediately hurried down towards the hospital lunch room to pick up something for White.

"Hey, Cheren?"

"Hm?"

"Where'd Black go?"

"He said something about going to check on some kids in the forest. Apparently they found…a Zebstrika and they're little brother together wondering around the cabin. I didn't understand him, sorry."

White gasped and nodded. Zebstrika had kept his end of the deal. He'd found the little boy after delivering her other friends toward the cabin.

A knock at the door caught White's attention. "You can just come in again, Bianca."

"It's N." Came an accented voice from behind the closed hospital door.

The brunette's heart dropped. Her head turned toward Cheren, who merely shrugged. "Come in."

N nearly burst through the door and was at White's side, planting himself in a chair beside her. "WhiteIfeelreallyterribleInev erknewthiswasgoingtohappenIt aketotalresponsibilityforthi sandtheguiltnearlyatemealive asIflewoverhereassoonasIhear dwordofthisIcameasfastasIcou ld!"

White was left with a confused look on her face. "I'm good, you? Was that the question?"

"White—" N looked as if he was on the thin line of crying, yelling, or laughing. "I-I…"

"It's fine, it's fine," White soothed. She made a motion with her hands for him to take a deep breath. He did as she told and froze, waiting for further instruction. She turned to Cheren. "Do you think you could give us a moment alone? I'm not so hungry right now, my stomach is just upset." Cheren nodded and waved a goodbye to N. N returned the farewell with just as much enthusiasm. Close to none. "How did you know I was at this hospital, N?"

"The news," N stated simply. "You—you were the only survivor that is known so far."

The brunette watched N for a moment, and thought long and hard about how he fidgeted under her gaze. His gray eyes changed shades as his eyes locked with hers. She was near sure her eyes were changing shades too.

Her thoughts from the _inbetween _came back to her. She bit her lip and held out her hand. Maybe if she had some sort of physical contact with him, she'd know if he was really death. If she should continue traveling with him. She wasn't going to risk the chance of dying again. If his true identity was death, there was always a chance she could die. Common sense.

N eyed her hand before locking eyes with her again. He took her hand and intertwined their fingers. The shock that ran up his arm made his eyes go wide. _She shouldn't be…not her. She was his friend…not the opposing side. This couldn't be right. Maybe she just had static in her arm. A lot of static._

White felt the same and winced. She pulled her hand away and held it in her lap. He made a pleading motion with his eyes and reached for her hand once more. She allowed him to take her hand and place it upon his chest, right on top of his heart. She shrieked a bit at the terror that flooded her. The terror that flooded up her arm and numbed her brain. She shivered and snapped her arm away.

"White, White," N started to stay frantically. "This means nothing, you've visited the _inbetween _and I'm death but that changes not—"

"I. Can't. Travel." White swallowed heavily. "With you anymore. Please leave."

N wanted to object, he desperately wanted to. He never felt a sense of urgency as strong as hid did right then. "Look—"

"N," White pointed toward the door and rubbed at her temples. "Please?"

So the long-haired male stood and strode toward the door; just as he turned the door knob, he whispered for White to feel well. Then he was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Fuuuuuu done. Okay. Chapter 6 is done. This chapter. Was. a. PAIN IN THE ASS. <strong>

**Please leave a review. I worked hard on this. I struggled on this. Because this was a difficult chap for me to pull off. Please ghost readers *tosses self out window* ooo boy.**

**WELL I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED OH THE ANGST AND SEPWGEIPA**

**To the people who say "I don't like white. downside to the story." Since when are all main characters likable? That's not really realistic. I don't like perfect people. I like people with flaws. expect relationship fights and stuff. okay? cool.**

**Eating: pizza yum yum**

**IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE NEXT CHAP DEDICATED TO YOU! Tell me what your reaction was when you saw I updated this :D thank you. I love to see reader reactions.**

**(If you want to yell at me 24/7 for procrastinating, or feel like chatting, because I don't really get on . I just get emails from this sight XD Auuughh follow my tumblr because I'm actually kind of lonely on there and I like talking with people. I don't care about follower count or anything, I just wanna chat and have fun! MOTIVATION FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS! NOW IF FART IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the newest chapter, enjoy!**

**Update: I tried a new word system and didn't realize the text would be all bunched together. So enjoy! **

* * *

><p>"I missed the fatty smells of Miltank Burger..."<p>

"I don't," Black wrinkled his nose as he poked at his burger. "I hate fast food joints now." White plucked at mushy french-fry from her brothers side and raised an eyebrow. "It's just that, on the road, the band gets a lot of junk food."

White hummed. "Everyday?"

"Everyday."

"That kind of seems like it sucks."

"It does," Black added with lacking enthusiasm. "Makes me wish you could cook some chicken and rice."

White laughed as the thought of a 9 year old Black running to the dinner table popped into her head. Black would pull back the dining chair in anticipation, because he knew that White would always manage to write some cryptic message on his rice with ketchup. He could never interpret it, yet it entertained him.

"Hey," Black waved a hand in front of his sisters face. "Where'd you go?"

"Outer space." The brunet sighed and leaned back into his seat, whilst sipping at his overly sweet tea in frustration. White frowned a bit and rested her chin in her palm. "Are you okay, Black?"

Black silently nodded and pulled out his X-Transciever. His fingers ran across the touch pad seamlessly. A small ding alerted the duo that his message had been sent.

"Are you talking to a girl or something." It wasn't a question.

Black's eyes ducked down for a brief moment before he shook his hands out in front of him. "I'm not a little kid, White!"

"Hey, I'm not patronizing you," White lulled as she took a long swig from her cup. "What's she like."

"She's black."

White froze a bit before giving him a blank stare. "Is race that important to you, that you have to mention it first. I was just asking about her personality and such."

"Oh."

"Well?"

"She's pretty."

"Cool?"

"Now you don't have to be sarcastic..."

"I'm not, I don't even know what she looks like!"

A loud screech of a rubber shoes against pavement caused their conversation to end abruptly. "White, sorry I'm late! Cheren was too busy saying his farewells to his underage girlfriend."

White smirked as Cheren slinked in from behind Bianca. His high-tech cellphone clutched firmly in hand. As soon as Cheren saw the look on White's face, he skipped the formalities. "Now why the hell are you looking at me like that?"

"Underage girlfriend...huh Cherry?"

Cheren blushed darkly and pushed up his glasses. "She's not underage..."

Bianca snorted and adjusted the satchel on her shoulder. At Cheren's firm glare, she switched her bag to her other shoulder. "What? She looks like she can be a Middle Schooler."

"I haven't met her yet," White uttered darkly. Cheren gulped.

"Maybe because I'm on the other side of Unova and-"

White crushed her cup till the soda inside squirted. Sprite hit Cheren square in the eyes. At the sight of Cheren dropping to the floor and screaming profanities, White couldn't help but kneel over in her seat and laugh long and hard. Black on the other hand barely looked up from his active chatting session. Bianca who usually didn't laugh at others misfortune stuck to her good nature and stepped over Cheren to take her place besides White.

"So what's new, White?" The blonde asked cheerfully.

White wheezed on her laughs a bit more before shaking her head and mumbling. "Nothin' much."

"I'm going to go wash my face," Cheren whined as he scurried towards the restroom.

* * *

><p>"Well I am bored..." White muttered irritably as she stroked Dewotts whiskers absent-mindedly. At Dewott's discontented growls, White apologized half-heartedly.<p>

"This tour bus can not move any slower..."

Black slouched in his seat besides White and ran his fingers through his hair. "Do you want to play some video games?"

"I've been playing for 8 hours straight."

"And you call yourself a gamer?"

White sniffed in a hurt manner. "I beat all the games you have."

Black hummed and turned in his seat for a bit before petting Excadrill roughly. "You want to go try getting our flying licenses?" White raised an eyebrow at him. "I know I failed last time, but Braviary won't be so flap-happy this time." White smirked and turned on the PS3 once more. "Ugh, White. You fly on Unfezant better than anyone else I've seen. Every time Cheren visits and sees you soaring on Unfezant he turns a little red with jealousy."

The brunette snorted and motioned for Black to pick up a controller. "What do you feel like playing?"

"Skullgirls. Anyway, why don't you feel like getting your license? We can't fly above citys without them." Black fingered his bangs and sighed before saying sarcastically. "I miss my girlfriend sometimes White."

"How is that my fault?" White droned, as her fingers expertly claimed combos on Black's character. "We can go get the licenses if you want, I just don't want to see you cry again."

Black was silent for a moment. "I thought you were just paranoid about your pokemon."

"...I can leave them alone for a couple hours..."

Black hummed. "That's way different from your attitude at the beginning of this journey."

"Well, they're trained now, and I'm trying to get rid of this phobia," White glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I'm just kind of hoping I'm making progress."

The brunet nodded and stretched. "With that N guy, you did make progress."

"Shut up." White groaned. Her thoughts lingered a bit too long since the time that they were adventuring together. But he was the human form of death, and no one hangs with death. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"We've been playing video games for hours in our pajamas. I don't think we have anything planned." Black responded slowly as he raised himself off the floor to grab a bottle of water. "Do you want anything?"

"Nah," White said quietly. "After the exam today can we hit Pikachu's Anime and Game shop?"

"To get the next edition of Lucky Star?" Black said quickly, excitement filling his eyes. White laughed at him and told him that she wanted a new video game instead.

"Oh, bummer. I guess I'll get something there too."

White scratched her head and motioned for Black to help her with her cast. "Now it's time for you to help me with my shower so I can get dressed."

Black sighed, his brown eyes downcast. "I don't think any brother wishes to see their sister naked every day."

"Well I bet some guy wishes to see your sister naked." White bursted out laughing and kneeled over. Black swept her onto his shoulder and groaned in unamusement.

"Do you see what I did there, Black?"

"Yes, and I don't like it. Ya nasty."

* * *

><p>"Saddle or no saddle?" The mustached mans grumbly voice echoed.<p>

"Saddle," White said as she stroked her Unfezants feathers tenderly. Her little Pidove had grown up so much and at the moment was just as strong as Dewott, who was awaiting her evolution with bated breath. As the man roughly slung the saddle upon Unfezant's back, White glared at the man a bit. "Watch it." The man surprised at White's commanding tone uttered his apologies. After the saddle was securely fastened, White thanked the man.

**"You're not nervous White?"** Unfezant asked cautiously as the man left the preperation area.

"Nope," White said nonchalantly as she placed her belongings in a locker adjacent to where her pokemon were sitting. "Are you?"

**"Of course not,"** Unfezant said quickly in defense.

"Well then wish us luck guys," White said to her other pokemon. They gave her smiles and cheers of anticipation. "Make sure you don't fight against the air, don't bite the current, also-"

**"Don't get in the way of that dumbass Braviary I know."**

"Language," White said simply as she hopped onto Unfezant's back.

**"Watch yours first, White."**

"I already do sassy McQueen."

The man popped his head into the room and glanced around before speaking to White slowly. "Were you, um, saying something Ms. Ochi?"

"Just giving myself a pep-talk," White said with a bright smile. The man nodded and motioned for White to follow through the door he had left open. White clutched Unfezant's neck feathers gently and urged for her to follow. Unfezant trotted obediently after the grumpy old man.

* * *

><p>"We'll let you guys go together," The instructor, a kindly older man, said politely. "This will get the process over quickly."<p>

"Yes..." Black hissed in delight, causing Braviary to nervously tap at the ground. "Oh calm down Braviary it'll be cool."

The area in which the exam took place was a used battling field, with nothing but wide open skies and trees in the far distance. With each step Unfezant took toward the center of the battle field, dust rose and tickled White's face. Her hair bounced wildly about her face as the wind rose, sending tight curls to wave in the air like the sea. The light voice of the elderly man called out to White from his position in a golf cart. "Are you prepared, Ms. Ochi?"

White patted Unfezant's head. "You ready?"

"It's flying, I've been doing it my whole life," Unfezant scoffed.

"Yeah, you're nervous," White laughed and turned to give a thumbs up to the instructor. "Yes sir!"

"What about you, Black?" The elderly man yelled, losing all formalities.

Black ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his cap firmly. "I guess."

Braviary took this cue to trot up besides Unfezant. His tongue clicked in a flirtatious matter. "Attract~"

Unfezant kicked dust in the other Pokemon's face.

"Sand-Attack," Unfezant said sarcastically.

"If you are all ready, please proceed with hovering at approximately 5 feet." The instructor blew his whistle for the trainers and their Pokemon to continue.  
>Unfezant and Braviary unanimously flapped and levitated at 5 feet with minimal flaps in-between. White and Black swapped cheeky grins. "Excellent! Now do a spring jump into the air, about 25 feet, and hover." The instructor commanded, his Mario-like mustache twitching in the breeze.<p>

"Come on big-boy," Unfezant whispered to Braviary. "Catch up." Her feet hit the floor smoothly, and with a powerful flap, twisted her wings downward to propel her body upward. The wind sailed briskly across White's face, causing White to let loose a cheer of joy. Unfezant cooed in unison.

"Can you guys be quiet you're making Braviary nervous!" Black hollered as Braviary was too busy fidgeting to actually propel himself upward. "C'mon Braviary, you can do it!" Braviary glanced back at Black and nodded in determination. Black nodded in response, his fist clutched dramatically.

"Jesus look at those stereotypical anime nerds," White drawled-even though she was very much a closet otaku.

* * *

><p>"YES! FINALLY!" Black skipped around clutching his license close to his chest. "White, you can come see my girlfriend now!"<p>

"Excitement." White said as she studied the isles of the game and anime shop tentatively.

"At least sound a bit more excited..."

"I am, I am."

"Jelly?"

"Sh," White said with a wide grin. "Help me find Bayonetta."

"I'll check on the other isle," Black chirped as he twisted on his heel. His hands dug into his pants pocket for his cellular device. "I'm going to call Iris to tell her we're coming over first...okay?"

"That's fine," White whispered, as she tried to push Unfezant away from ripping open a bag of popcorn from a stand. "Stop, stop, stop, drop it-ouch don't peck me, jeez you're so violent. You have menopause or something?" Unfezant merely rolled her eyes and motioned for White to slide onto her back. "Oh, what a kind bird you are all of a sudden. Mindful of my bad leg eh?"

"You're a whiny child." Unfezant quipped. "I don't even know how we were allowed to take the flying test with your leg busted up."

"Pull the strings like a puppet," White made a scissor-cutting motion with her fingers. "Can you take me to the candy isle?"

"Whatever," Unfezant sighed as she trotted along toward the overly bright isle filled with cavity feeding goodness.

"I'll just fill up a few bags. "

10 bags later filled with assorted colors and different shades of brown, a voice called out.

"White?"

"Huh?" White said absent-mindlessly. She spun on her good heel and took a hobbling step forward, still trying to tie up her last bag of candy. The plastic wouldn't stick. She bumped into whoever called her name. The bag fell to the floor along with White. Shades of indigo littered the isle like a row of gems. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

A big hand with overly long fingers was offered to her. As White placed her hand in it, green locks became visible. Her heart dropped. Her eyes moved upward, and she found that somehow, his face had matured in the time that they had been a part. His face was more sculpted and slender. In general, he lost some femininity and gained masculinity. Maybe her eyes were messing with her. A light blush was apparent on his cheeks, and his eyes were trying their damnest to focus on her face. Her eyes looked down from his murky grey ones, only to be met with the clear sight of her cleavage saying hello to the world. "Oh god..."

N heaved her up and took the bag of candy from her hand. He tied it quickly and set it besides White's other bags. With a tilt of his hat toward Unfezant, his eyes finally met White's. His blush was gone and what was left was a apologetic grin. "It's...um...It's been a while, huh?"

A breath left her too quickly. She had a feeling Black had left the store to have more privacy talking to Iris. She was alone, with the man she feared. "Yeah, yeah it has." She placed her hands inside her hoodie's pocket.

"Are you angry?" N asked quickly. Almost so quickly that White wondered if he even talked at all.

"Come again?"

"Are," N shuffled his feet and offered a weak smile. "...I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," White almost whispered. Her voice was breaking. If he was the personification of death, he could kill her at any moment. Didn't he already try?

"I have to get going..."

"You're the personification of life...aren't you?" N said hurriedly as if he was scared.

White shrugged and sat on top of Unfezant, whilst piling the bags of candy onto the saddle of Unfezant. "Seems like it, I don't know." Unfezant watched everything quietly. "I don't even know what it means to be the personification of life. This mumbo jumbo has hit me kind of hard."

"We don't have special powers if that's what your thinking."

The brunette watched him silently for a minute before adjusting her hoodie and ponytail. "I would say we-well I have supernatural sensations..."

N bounced his weight onto his other foot, taking the most informal posture that White had ever seen on him. He spoke quietly with no sign of threat in his pitch. She relaxed a bit. "You seem more tense than the last time I've seen you."

"You're death." White said unabashedly. "I'm kind of stressed out."

"I'm not like the last "Death"," N reasoned sadly. "My name is Natural Harmonia, I am 19 years old, and I am confused."

White bit her lip and scooped her curly bangs to the side. "...Confused...?"

"I'm not the brightest with relationships."

"Neither am I. I don't think anyone is."

"I miss you."

White coughed into her sleeve and motioned for Unfezant to back up a bit. "My name is White Ochi, 16 years old, and I believe I'm smart enough to stay away from you."

"You're the only friend I have from the real world." N said this a bit too loudly, causing a woman from an opposite isle to peer over curiously. White caught the ladies stare and offered an apologetic smile, to which the lady ignored. As the lady turned away, White motioned with her head for N to follow. They made their way over to Charmander's Hot Java-a popular coffee shop distributed throughout the whole world. The cafe inside of the store was calm and quiet, as everybody sipping their coffee was too busy reading their manga's or having their eyeball's buried into their portable console.

N pulled out White's chair and extended a hand for White to lean on as she rose off of Unfezant. White's eyes hardened yet she accepted his hand. His grip was firm and sturdy, and his eyes were just as firm when they met hers. Not firm with annoyance like hers, but firm with apology. An apology he wanted her to accept. After he had pushed her chair in and they both ordered their respective drinks, he turned to her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you think I tried to hurt you. I'm sorry that you had to find out I was death. I-I," N bowed his head and went quiet, his forearms rested on the table. White watched him silently, struck by his solemn burst of apology. "I-I-I'm sorry for making it seem like I was throwing my friend away."

"N-" Suddenly White was filled with remorse, and her throat hurt.

"White," N raised his head. His face was filled with affection. White felt scared at the amount of affection she was shown. "I care about you."

"Thank you." White said after a beat of silence. Her heart tightened.

N's face softened and a tired smile slowly rose to his face. "Of course."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're talking to that creep again."<p>

White studied the look of disgust on her brother's face and frowned. "It might very well sound crazy to you, but I don't think N is out to harm me, at all."

"Oh, so you think it's one of those wrong time wrong place kind of thing?"

"Yeah I do," White sniffed. "Everyone on that train died except for me and a small boy, and we were incredibly lucky. He's off living with his new brother and sister in a very loving home. I got to live and be with you for another good 80 plus years. I'm not doubting anything or anyone, Black. The guys that actually bombed the train are to blame."

Black heaved an annoyed sigh and ran his fingers through his hair roughly. "Look, I'm only watching out for you. That Team Plasma is bad news and that N guy that goes on the news a lot and talks about liberation and shit is their king. Their KING."

"That's just a stage name."

"I bet you my life it isn't."

"Black," White barked. She bit her lip and sighed angrily. "I asked him if he was actually the leader of Team Plasma."

"Pshft, you're such a liar." Black sneered and walked over to the tour bus's huge fridge. "Look if you want to believe whatever that freak tells you, go ahead."

The brunette watched Black sadly, struck by his sudden turn of not caring at all. Ever since they had been reunited, he'd only cared about Iris, and whenever White would try to hang out with Black after his concerts, she would be treated like an annoying third wheel. Suddenly the back of her neck heated and her cheeks flustered with an angry pink dust. She wanted to make him regret not caring about her. Out of pure love, she stayed with Black, but now it seemed like she was just a burden. "Black..."

Black ignored her and popped open a bottle of Gatorade. "Look White all I'm trying to say is-"

"I'm leaving with N...on Saturday."

"What."

"That's...that's right I'm leaving on Saturday."

The honey eyed male dropped his tightly capped bottle and glared at White. "You're running off with him now?! How many plans can you fit into an hour conversation?! What do you even intend to do? You told me you were fine with the amount of badges you have, what, are you going to challenge the Elite Four now?"

White stepped in and swooped his bottle off the floor. At her sudden movement, Black flinched backwards a bit, still intimidated by the amount of power she held in her small structure. Her eyes focused on his and Black had a hard lump in his throat. Fights hit him hard emotionally. "Black," Her blue eyes grew clearer, like clouds dispersing from a dull sky. "I'm not running off with N. I'm going to call him again tonight to talk about stuff. We just talked about my future, and he feels really bad about my janked leg, so he's offering to pay for my schooling. If I can become an MD, I can open up my own daycare for Pokemon."

The spiky-haired males eyes widened, and an unconscious smile rose to his face. "That'd be amazing." White nodded in affirmation. "Well if it's actually going to be that fluid...then...I still don't know. I don't have any control over you, so do what you like."

White hugged Black tightly and smiled into his chest.

* * *

><p>"That girl is like 6 years younger than you, Cheren, are you out of your mind?" Bianca flicked the juice from her Popsicle into Cheren's glasses.<p>

He aggressively wiped at his glasses, making sure to glare at Bianca from his spot on their train. With a tilted eyebrow and wink from Bianca, Cheren began squawking. "SHE'S NOT EVEN 6 YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LOVE?!"

"If you spit on my face one more time I'm going to kill you."

"Ah...sorry."

Bianca grunted and made a threatening motion towards Cheren. The cerulean eyed male in turn teared up a bit and scooted over several seats.

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

"Uhh..." White smacked herself mentally. How do guys sound more attractive on the phone? "Hi."

"Oh, salutations, White. What did you want to talk about?"

"Just what we talked about in the cafe." White sighed exhaustively.

"Uhm...yeah no problem." N was audible as he excused himself from someone. A high pitched whine from a female was clearly audible. It whined for N to sit back down and tell the person on the phone to call back later. White debated to herself on whether or not the voice belonged to N's partner, yet decided to keep her own curiousness at bay. After a moment, the sound of a door clicking led to N groaning tiredly and rough clearing of his throat. "Did you decide to take up my offer?"

"If it's not too much trouble," White said quickly, humbly.

"It's no problem, I wanted to make up for the accident with your leg."

For some strange reason, White felt a lump grow in her throat. "It's not your fault...don't worry about."

"Well, alright. Is this Saturday okay?"

"Yeah," White blinked her eyes roughly. "It's perfect. I'll be waiting inside the local Sneasel Diner."

N grunted in affirmation and then paused for a moment. Just as White was about to close the call with a farewell, N spoke quickly. "You looked lovely tonight."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

White's cheeks flushed and she gulped heavily. "Thank you."

"N, who is that you're talking to?"

The sound of N muffling the phone with his hand was barely heard by White, and distorted warbles of conversation met White's ears through difficult concentration. Finally a loud, agitated groan from N was finished with the clearing of the receiver. "Sorry White, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, alright, see ya'."

A high pitched squeal of delight was heard coming from N's side. "C'mon Babe, we got a movie to watch! Dr. HootHoot's 50th anniversary is going to start soon!"

"Alright, alright my love." N cleared his throat. "See you, White."

* * *

><p>In that moment, N had never felt so unfaithful to his partner. White sat a distance away, her elbow on the table, and her chin rested in her upturned palm. Her eyes were half-lidded, taking in the beauty of the pond that was was sparsely filled with Basculin and Tirtouga. Over the course of time that they had been apart, freckles had become laced over the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Her eyes turned more pure in blue, probably due to the essence of natural life flowing through her. Through the brisk breeze that flowed through the patio of the diner, her curls moved gently up and down, caressing the back of her neck. N suddenly felt very self-conscious of his own appearance, something he didn't care all too much for when he associated with humans. Her hardened eyes met his figure, and resolved to a more softer stare. "N, over here!" She waved energetically. Her healthy Pokemon-considerately bigger may he had-waved at N as well. The green-haired male smiled naturally and proceeded to jog over towards the table.<p>

"Good morning," N managed to get out as he slid into the seat across from White. "Good morning! You guys look exceptional!" He directed towards her Pokemon.

Dewott cast a glance over at White before greeting N as well. The rest of the Pokemon followed her lead.

"Good day, N." White held her bag to the side and offered a strong but precocious smile. "Uh...Are you going to eat anything?"

"I'm not very hungry this morning, if you don't mind. Will you?"

"Nah," White said softly with a casual wave of her hand. "I packed a few sandwiches for the road. Diners are kind of a rip off."

"I wouldn't say that exactly," N said with a coy smile. "On our plans about the University, I suggest we make a beeline towards it. It's located in Liberty Garden; I already got us a ticket for the Liberty boat."

White nodded in appreciation. "When we get to the University?"

"We're allowed a week to stay in their dorms. They go over our resume's, look at our past achievements and grades."

"...You're staying too?"

N sniffed mildly. "Yes."

White stared at him for a bit.

"Yes?"

"It's just..." White scratched her head a bit. "Why?"

"I'd like to be an MD as well." N said quickly and sharply, as if it was obvious.

"Ah," White began to play with the forks and knives folded in a paper napkin. "Well, okay."

The green-haired male nodded slowly and studied the freckles lacing White's nose. Her large, critical eyes met his, and he was forced to look away. "I'm sorry for snapping at you." Her eyes softened and she smiled, signing that there was no harm.

His obvious care with his words touched White emotionally, and she took his hand and pulled him up and out of his seat gently, whilst adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "Let's go, N. We're burning daylight. It's safer to fly when the sun is out and everything is visible."

"We're...flying...?" N paled considerably till there was a greenish hue to his cheeks and forehead.

White turned around and stepped closely to N, rising to her tip-toes to study his face closely. N naturally stretched his head backwards in embarrassment. "Yeah we're flying, N. You have Unfezant right?" His throat dried suddenly and he only nodded, his greenish hue fading to pink. She was all the more lovely up close. "Don't look so nervous, you have your flying license right?" N managed a barely audible, "Uhuh." White nodded slowly and lowered her worried gaze. A taunting smirk tugged at her lips. "You don't happen to be...scared of heights, right, Mr. Harmonia?"

"Of course not." N answered so quickly that his lips were a blur.

"Well...okkkaaaayyyyy." White said with a chuckle. "You can ride with Unfezant and I if you'd like. She's quite strong, and while I'd normally be hesitant to make her carry two people, I think she could handle it."

"Easily!" Unfezant scoffed quietly as she bit into another oran berry.

"There's my girl," White said proudly. She then smiled at N and motioned with a tilt of her head for her Pokemon to start heading outside. With N stood frozen in his place, White paced back over to N and looked at him curiously. He merely stared back at her, seemingly helpless. "N..." White began, and slowly, she picked up his hand-that hung loosely from his side-and looped her small hand around his wrist. "It'll be fine. It'll be quick. Don't worry, alright?"

With childlike eyes, N could only reach with his other hand and hold hers, almost desperately. (In the most platonic way may I add) "I am deathly afraid of heights."

"I'm here, don't be." With that, hand in hand, N helped a limping White outside and onto the waiting back of Unfezant. With her Pokemon already in their respective balls, N swung himself cautiously onto the strong, muscled back of Unfezant. "You can put your hands on the saddle handles if you want."

"I hear that it's safer if my arms are around the rider."

White threw a cocked eyebrow back at her passenger.

"I'm not hitting on you here," N said with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "I'm to scared to court you at the moment."

The brunette tossed her head back and laughed at his phrasing before adding her own input. "I'll suppose you'll court me later then."

And Unfezent was soaring in the sky.

* * *

><p>His lips met hers hungrily leaving little time for breathing in-between. As they separated their honey-colored eyes twinkled lovingly. "I missed you."<p>

Her poofy chocolate hair swished side to side as she swayed in delight to his words. "I missed you too, Black. How's your sister doing?"

"She's going to a University now." Black replied as he pulled Iris towards him and rested his head on top of hers. "Going to become an MD to open up a Pokemon Daycare."

"That sounds wonderful."

"It is," Black agreed, enjoying the feeling of Iris's warm hands rubbing at his cold arms. "How's your family?"

"Sucky as always," Iris said with a pinch of bitterness. Her hardened eyes were immediately softened at the feel of Black kissing her softly, a soft chu~ echoing as a result. "But they always act a bit nicer when you're around."

Black nodded appreciatively and then leaned down, his face overcome with an incredibly serious mask. "I have something to tell you. You're a professional dragon tamer, so I hope that you should know what this is." Black pulled out what seemed to be a large white stone from his backpack. "I got this from Lenora in Nacrene City..."

Iris's eyes stared blankly at the stone and took it gently from Black's hands. "I almost called it an egg...but don't listen to me I'm kind of dumb."

"No you're not," Black dismissed quickly. "Lenora called it a Light Stone. Some Team Plasma thugs were trying to steal a Dragon's Skull from her museum. I helped out in defeating them and she started saying a bunch of stuff. Like how this stone could revive a legendary Dragon-Type Pokemon. I thought you would of studied it."

"No...sorry..." Iris said apologetically as she carefully placed the pearl-colored stone into the waiting hands of Black. "There's a lot of stuff I don't know, y'know?"

"It's alright," Black said, holding her tightly to his chest, marveling at the beautiful dark tone of her skin. "I just needed to tell someone about this stuff actually...it's been on my mind."

"I'm glad you feel open with me."

Black nuzzled his head into the curve of her neck and shoulder, and let out an exhausted sigh. "I love you a lot."

* * *

><p>"Have a nice voyage." The ticket inspector said gruffly with a tip of his hat.<p>

"Thank you," N and White said in unison. N picked up White's bag and his backpack, managing both easily. White tossed him a thankful smile and ran her hands through her windblown hair. Her nose and cheeks were both a peachy hue from the cold air rushing past them, and N's hair stuck up from adorable angles.

"Hmm..." White studied the tickets in her hand and checked the room number. "N, these have the same room numbers on them..."

"Oh," N said nonchalantly, obviously uninterested and un-bothered in what White had just told him.

"N."

"Yes?"

The brunette was met with a blank and oblivious stare from her companion. She sweat-dropped and sighed heavily. "Never mind."

* * *

><p>"This is strange..."<p>

"What is?"

"You can feel the boat rocking," N said quietly, as if talking loudly would make the boat stop. "Can you feel it?"

White paused too, then nodded in affirmation. "I'm sure you've been on a boat before, right?"

"Much sturdier vessels."

"Blah, blah, blah," White said, obviously uninterested. "What time is dinner?"

Mentally, N smiled at how comfortable White was speaking to him. Her body position also gave off a a confident and comfortable vibe. He could feel their friendship growing back quicker than he expected. He turned around and sat onto his bed properly. Taking the ship's planner from his backpack, N licked a finger and flipped through the pages briskly. "It's at 8."

"That's kind of late."

"It's also formal. They're providing attire for us." N added, impressed by the luxurious benefits of the yacht. "Sounds nice."

"You're telling me," White said excitedly. "So, we have enough time. Tell me about your lady." The brunette plopped down on her respective bed and closed her eyes peacefully.

"My lady..." N snickered.

"Yeah..." White opened one eyes and peered at N from an angle. His eyes were saddened and a filmy gray. His bangs hung fluffy in front of his eyes, and his jaw was set stiffly.

"She's okay."

"Okay?"

"Uh..." N breathed in awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair. For some reason he didn't feel comfortable talking about Clara with White.

"You don't have to tell me about her."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

After a moment of silence, White rolled over onto her side, so that she faced the elegant wood paneling of the wall. N's deep, husky voice broke the silence. "Have you met anyone special...?"

White's cheeks flushed, and she was thankful to have been already facing the wall. "No-no I haven't."

"Can I respond to that?"

"Sure?"

"I'm surprised," N began, not knowing where to take his sentence. "...I'm completely surprised..."

The brunette's chest tightened and she shifted slightly. N studied he curvy body, with just an extra bit of meat on her sides, she was plump, and beautiful, even from behind. "Why are you surprised?"

"You're a wonderful woman..."

White sighed, and N slightly flinched, closing his eyes in response. He hated how his heart began to beat faster. He was in too deep to back out. Their whole evening would be ruined. "And you're beautiful."

There was a beat of silence, until White responded, albeit meekly. "Do you really think so...?"

"Yes," N breathed quickly.

"If only other guys thought like you," White said with a satirical giggle. "I'd have a boyfriend..."

"I'd date you-" N had to whole his hand down from smacking himself. He bit his cheek and cussed himself out mentally over 100 times.  
>The cerulean-eyed girl turned over to face him, her eyes brighter than ever. "I'd date you as well," A giant smiled filled her face, and she never faked anything more perfectly in her life. "Too bad you're engaged."<p>

N offered a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes. His heart tightened, as did White's. In that moment, their undercover confession of physical attraction was ignored, and they prepared themselves for dinner.

* * *

><p>"Wow it's really cold," Bianca shivered and huddled close to Cheren. "Do you have a spare jacket?"<p>

"Nope."

"Can I have yours?"

"No, I'm cold too."

"Is this how you treat your girlfriend?"

"Survival of the fittest."

Bianca stepped away and charged toward Cheren, landing a powerful 1-2 elbow to fist combo on his head. Bianca walked away rubbing at her fist and smiling triumphantly, his coat strung tightly about her shoulders. "Survival of the fittest indeed."

Cheren slept in the snow that night.

* * *

><p>Dinner was held in a classy jazz lounge, musicians of high caliber played soothing melodies on alto saxophones, double basses and small drum sets. The maroon-carpeted floor held not one crumb and any child in the dining area was on their best behavior. Everyone ate with their heads high and they're legs properly folded about the chair.<p>

White sipped her hot tea and took a delicate bite of the cake on her fork. N rubbed his eyes tiredly and sampled some of White's tea, only to cringe and put the cup back down. White smiled bemusedly to herself before turning and staring in awe at the musicians on the stage.

"They're quite excellent." N commented, dabbing at his mouth with a red cloth napkin.

"I know right?" White said happily in response. "I wish I could play an instrument again."

"I know how to play the cello." N decided to share with White. He was met with an amazed gaze, that made his heart tighten and jump.

"You really do?"

"Mhm."

"I can play the viola," White said excitedly. "We can play together, sometime, maybe."

"I'd like that," N responded, her smile made him smile even harder. After an hour or so of talking and enjoying each other's company, they decided that it was about time to retire for the night. After retiring to their room, White left to change inside of their bathroom whilst N changed inside of the main cabin. The wood paneled floor was so cold it stung N's feet and he hopped around a bit to get his fleece pajamas on. As soon as those were on, he flung himself underneath the covers and shivered and sighed at the same time.

"Did you finish changing yet?" White called from her place in the bathroom.

"All clear," N joked as he turned over and buried his head inside of his pillow.

"Gah, this floor is so cold!" White shut the door carefully behind her and sprinted for her bed. once there she let down her hair and brought up the covers to her chin.

With a sigh, they talked for a bit, over their day and over the weather. "Well, I'm about to pass out. Goodnight, N."

"Goodnight, White."

"Don't let the bed-bugs bite."

"Ew. That's gross, painful, and unsanitary."

"Blah, blah, blah."

* * *

><p>White brushed her bangs out of her face and placed a hand on the handle of the Dean's doors. Butterflies dropped in her stomach and she turned back nervously for direction from N. He offered a gentle smile and proceeded to open the door for her, willing her to keep going. "It's your interview first, Ms. Ochi." At N's words, White felt a lump grow in her throat. Her future lied beyond these doors, and N had managed to hold her hand and easily waltz her to its doorstep. What he'd done for her in two days was much more than she could accomplish in a year. Without thinking she rushed into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. N's heart tightened and with one arm, wrapped it around her waist. As White pulled away her lips met his for a brief moment, when there was a gap between their lips, smiles spread on each of their faces. Until N and White realized what they had done.<p>

White held a hand to her mouth in shock at her actions. "N, I-"

"Ms. Ochi! You're up for your interview in five minutes," A man with a thick beard and balding head said gruffly as he stuck his head out the door. He then quickly retreated back into the main lobby.

"Ah, yes sir!" Just as White turned to leave, N grabbed her hand, spun her around and pressed his lips to hers once more. As White's body relaxed, N began to caress her lips with his, resulting in White grabbing onto the collar of his coat, pulling him into her. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating and made White light headed. She didn't know her lips could be this sensitive, yet they were, and each kiss from him felt like a tiny fuse was being lit in her core. She didn't want it to stop. Each pause for a breath left them to eagerly join their lips again. Their hair flowed lightly in the wind tickling their noses and each other's forehead.

At last they separated and were both breathing a bit harder than usual.

White blushed a bright red at what they had done and retreated her eyes to look at her X-Transceiver. "I-I-I better get going for my interview...thank you for everything, N."

Once more N grabbed White's wrist and whispered desperately in her ear. "We have 3 more minutes, and this is the most happy I've been in a year...If you would make me a happy man, and allow me to enjoy this, for just 3, simple, minutes..."

* * *

><p>The walk to their dorm was quiet yet not unpleasant. They walked more closely, and stayed preoccupied over the thoughts on their previous kiss. Or make-out session-whichever they preferred. When they talked, their responses were short and sweet, to the point. They didn't look at each other's face, in fear that if they looked at their lips they'd be overcome with the urge to-suck faces.<p>

When they got to their dorm, no one was present, even though other rooms were obviously occupied. They finally reached their room and plopped their luggage down onto the floor besides their own respective beds. The room was bland and a sort of run-in blue. N sat on his bed and White sat on her bed facing him. Their backs were slouched yet their eyes were filled with all sorts of mixed emotions. Worry and no doubt-affection.

White gulped and pulled at one of her curls. "How deep are we?"

"So deep, I don't even want to get out." He managed after a moment. A boyish smile lit up his face, making him handsome. "I'm too happy with you."

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! Sorry for the wait, thanks for your patience. <strong>

**~Edriana**


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